Innocence Lost
by CidGregor
Summary: RobStar. A terrible fate befalls Starfire, and she doesn't want anyone to find out about it...but three months later she finds she cannot hide it much longer...not when Slade has an interest in her secret...
1. Prologue: The Nightmare Begins

This Story is Rated M for mature subject matter, light sexual content, and some language.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**INNOCENCE LOST**

by CidGregor

* * *

**Prologue**

"HAH!"

Robin swung his staff in a huge arc, aiming directly at his opponent's head, but the villain easily sidestepped the blow, and delivered a strike of his own to Robin's unguarded chest, knocking him back a few feet.

"Really, Robin, you make this far too easy for me," the villain mocked in his sinister tone. "I have analyzed your every move, your every limit. You cannot defeat me."

"What do you want from us, Analyst?" Robin demanded of the strange half-man, half-machine. "What have you done with my friends?"

"Oh, they're right here," Analyst gestured behind him. A wall in the back of the room slid open, revealing the other four Titans bound in chains. They were fully conscious, save for Cyborg, but for some reason, they were not fighting to break free. The chains didn't look all that strong; Robin was sure Starfire could easily break them, Raven could slip right through them just as he'd seen her walk right through so many walls, and Beast Boy certainly should've been able to morph something small enough to escape the chains. So why were they captive?

Almost as if reading his thoughts, Analyst laughed heartily, his mechanical parts flashing. "Your friends have been incapacitated for the time being, Robin."

"What do you mean, 'incapacitated?'"

Analyst held up a small remote. "This is the control mechanism for a most wonderful toy of mine. You see, I have spent many months analyzing you and the Titans, learning your moves, your powers, your weaknesses…everything I'd need to defeat you. This device is the culmination of my efforts."

"Stop playing word games! What does it do?" Robin demanded. Analyst laughed again, and Robin marveled at how much like Cyborg this nutcase was: he too seemed to be equal parts man and machine, had immense knowledge of all things technological…he was even black. Robin wouldn't have been surprised to find out the villain was Cyborg's evil twin.

"It creates a very special energy field around each of your friends, designed to cancel out their powers," Analyst said. "As long as this device is active, your friends are powerless. You, however, do not seem to have powers. So it seems I must kill you myself!"

"I'd love to see you try," Robin snarled. Quick as lightning Robin's hand flew to his utility belt and clutched a flash bomb. He hurled it at Analyst and shielded his eyes as it exploded, temporarily blinding the villain. Analyst stumbled around for a short while, unable to see, but rather than attack him, Robin hurried over to his friends and proceeded to unlock their chains.

"I can't wait to pound this guy," Beast Boy said with a grin.

"No…you can't do anything without your powers," Robin insisted. "I'll deal with this psycho. You guys head back to the Tower, maybe you can get out of range of his device. I'll try to disable it from here."

"But Robin, you cannot face him alone!" Starfire's worried voice floated over to him. "I will stay with you!"

"Star, it's too dangerous, you could get hurt. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Robin's right, Starfire," Raven agreed. "Without our powers we're just dead weight. Some more than others," she added dryly, glancing at Cyborg. His systems were completely shut down, and he hung lifelessly from his chains.

"You guys need to get him and yourselves to safety. I'll meet you at the Tower after I finish with this guy," Robin instructed.

"Oh, be careful, Robin!" Starfire said, and threw her arms around him.

Robin hugged her back for a moment, then pushed her toward the door. "Now get going!"

The Titans made for the exit, Beast Boy and Raven carrying Cyborg. They escaped just as Analyst recovered from the flash bomb. The villain glared daggers at Robin.

"Come on!" Robin taunted. "Let's see just how well you know me."

* * *

"Good job, there, Robin," the police chief said. "We've been tracking this guy for a while. Glad we can finally put him behind bars." 

Robin nodded curtly. It had taken Robin a little longer than expected, but he'd managed to defeat Analyst with minimal trouble and disable his machine that robbed the Titans of their powers. He bid farewell to the police chief, then climbed on his R-Cycle and drove off, now worried about his teammates. Had they made it back safely? Were their powers back, or did something go wrong?

His question was suddenly answered when a voice rang in his head. _Robin…_

Robin smiled inwardly, a wave of relief washing over him. _Raven…good to hear your voice,_ he thought back at her. _Is everything okay? Did you guys make it back safely?_

_No…not exactly._

Worry crept back into Robin's head. _What do you mean, 'not exactly?'_

_We got separated somehow…_ Raven said hesitantly. _One second she was right next to us, the next, she was gone…_

Robin knew immediately what Raven meant, and cursed himself. Starfire…even away from the battle she was in danger…how could he have let this happen?

_It's not that, Robin…_ Raven said. _We all made it back to the Tower, but…Robin, something's seriously wrong with her. She locked herself in her room the moment she came through the door, crying. She's been in there, crying, ever since._

_Is she hurt?_ Robin asked.

_She didn't look hurt…not physically, anyway…look, Robin, she won't let anyone in to talk to her, and I tried to read her mind, but she's fighting me like nothing I've ever seen. Something happened to her, and she doesn't want us to know. Get back here, Robin…I might not have been able to see what happened, but I did see that she's hurting, bad. She needs you now more than ever._

_I'm on my way_, Robin said, and gunned the engine, praying that the love of his life would be okay.

* * *


	2. The Fallen Star

Innocence Lost by CidGregor.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Robin parked the R-Cycle in the Tower's garage and ran upstairs as fast as he could. He had to get to Starfire…he had to know she was okay.

At the top of the stairs he found Raven waiting for him. "Any change?" Robin asked.

Raven shook her head. "Still in her room, crying her eyes out, and we have no clue why. It's starting to scare me…she's such a happy person, Robin…what could happen to her to make her this upset?"

Thousands of possibilities were swimming in his mind, but Robin refused to think about any of them. There was no way he could know until he talked to her. "Give me some time with her…I'll see what I can do."

Raven nodded agreement. "Good luck," she added, and floated away to her own room. Robin hurried down the hall to Starfire's room, and immediately he could hear her muffled sobs through the door. Raven wasn't exaggerating, it seemed.

Tentatively, Robin raised a fist and knocked on the door. "Starfire? It's me, Robin…can I come in?"

A muffled cry answered him, and a second later the door flew open, and Robin's eyes widened in shock. Starfire looked terrible. Her cheeks were stained with tears, her normally sparkling eyes were dimmed and reddened, her hair was an absolute mess, and she seemed to have a cut somewhere on her upper thigh that he couldn't see, because there was blood on her leg.

"Star…?" Robin whispered.

Starfire suddenly threw her arms around the Boy Wonder and began crying all over again. Robin held her silently in the doorway, utterly terrified. The normally happy, cheerful, girl he knew had gone entirely. In her place was a lost, scared girl that had clearly been through something terrible.

Had someone attacked her? His terror vanished in an instant and gave way to blinding rage at that thought. If that was the case, he was going to find whoever did it and personally beat them to death. Then another thought; perhaps she'd received a message from home that someone close to her - a family member, perhaps – had died recently. The rage was gone as quickly as it had come and was replaced by intense pity; he was no stranger to that particular heartbreak.

"Starfire…" Robin whispered after a few minutes. "What's wrong? Why won't you talk to the others? What…what happened, Star?"

But Starfire only cried harder at Robin's words, and Robin realized that she was not ready to talk about it, not yet. So Robin fell silent and continued to hold her while she wept. Slowly he guided her inside her room and closed the door, and led her to sit down on her bed. "Listen, Star," Robin said, "it's late; you should try to get some sleep. Maybe you'll feel better in the morning."

Starfire nodded. Robin pulled back her bed-sheets as she lay down, and threw them back over her. "If you need anything at all, just call me, okay? Now try to get some sleep." Robin stood up to go, but the moment he turned to the door he felt her hand grab him tightly around the wrist. He spun back and was startled to she her face frozen with fear.

"Please stay…" she begged. " Don't…don't leave me alone…"

Not once since his own parents died had Robin cried. But those words tore at his heart, and he felt his own tears stinging his eyes. "Okay," Robin whispered. So he pulled up a chair and sat beside her bed, holding her hand until she drifted off into a fitful sleep.

* * *

"What could be wrong with her?" Cyborg wondered aloud. "This isn't like her at all."

"She's actually making _me_ depressed," Raven said. "Starfire. Depressing _me._ That is not normal."

It was the next morning. Robin had stayed awake all through the night at Starfire's bedside, and he could tell from her expressions she had had nightmares. When she woke up she didn't seem any better than the night before, still refused to talk about the events of the night before, and had locked herself in her bathroom under the shower ever since.

"Whatever it is, it's bad. I've never seen Starfire this sad…or this scared," Robin added.

"Raven, can't you do your mind-reading thing? Find out what's up?" Beast Boy suggested.

"She fought me when I tried," Raven admitted. "I could've kept digging but that could've damaged her mind. And I don't really want to push her if she doesn't want to talk about it."

"We should let her tell us on her own terms," Robin agreed. "Give her whatever time she needs. I'm sure she'll talk to us sooner or later."

As it turned out, it was not sooner, but later. Much later.

* * *

_Knock, knock._

Starfire glanced over at her door. Did she really feel like talking to anybody right now? Even Robin? Surely they would question her about last night, and that was the absolute last thing she wanted to discuss.

"Starfire, please open the door." It was Raven. Starfire sighed, and turned away. She felt close to Raven, but at the moment she was not happy with the dark girl. She had tried to pry the knowledge of last night without permission, and even though she had backed off when Starfire had fought, it still was not sitting well with her. But even then, it seemed Raven could hear her thoughts anyway.

"Listen, Star…I'm sorry I tried to dig things out of your mind before. I should've respected your privacy, the way you've always respected mine, and I apologize. I just want to let you know that we're here for you when you're ready to talk. All of us."

Starfire could hear Raven standing there waiting for an answer, but when none came for a handful of minutes, she heard the dark girl's footsteps moving away. Starfire was grateful for her friend's apology, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment.

Talk…talk about what had happened to her…that was the very last thing she wanted to do. Not to Raven, not to Robin, not to anybody. It was too terrible a story to relieve, even to her most trusted friends…even to the man she loved.

So Starfire kept her secret, bottled up in the depths of her heart, and for three long months, it stayed there. Starfire never spoke of that night, and the other Titans, though they were bursting with curiosity, did not ask her about it. Over those three months, Starfire slowly seemed to regain her old glow, but none of the Titans were fooled, least of all Robin; memories of that night still haunted her, and it hurt Robin that she couldn't share her pain with her friends…with him. She rarely smiled now, and many nights Robin could still hear her crying herself to sleep.

Still, Starfire was recovering, and given more time, she might have eventually regained her old happy self. But there was no more time to be had; for it was three months to the day after that fateful night that Starfire discovered that her secret could not be kept any longer.

And it all started with a simple, harmless question.


	3. Raven's Discovery

Innocence Lost by CidGregor

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"Raven, do I appear sick to you?"

Raven glanced up from the book she was reading to see Starfire staring at her intently from the edge of the living room couch, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "You look a little pale," Raven said, "but I wouldn't say you _look_ sick. Why, do you _feel_ sick?"

"I do not know. I fear I have perhaps contracted an Earth virus of some sort, for my symptoms are most unusual of any Tameranean sickness!"

"What symptoms?"

Starfire glanced hesitantly at the boys at the other end of the couch. "Err…may we speak in my room?"

Raven's eyes narrowed, and she sighed inwardly. If Starfire didn't want to discuss this in front of the male Titans, the odds were that this was going to be a little awkward; not exactly the most thrilling prospect for the dark girl. Not that the boys were paying the girls any attention; Cyborg and Beast Boy were engrossed in their video games as usual, and Robin was poring over maps of the city spread out over the kitchen counter, marking the most recent sightings of the ever-elusive Slade and paying the rest of the world no attention at all. Nevertheless Raven nodded, and followed Starfire to her room.

As they walked, Raven swept her senses across the Tower. It was something she did every once in a while to check for possible intruders, just in case someone managed to get through Cyborg's security. She was almost doing it out of habit nowadays, as she never sensed anything other than the five of them. But this time was different…it was very vague, almost nonexistent, but this time Raven could feel someone else in the Tower. It was such a miniscule sense, though; she could barely feel it at all, much less pinpoint it, whatever it was.

"Raven? Is something troubling you?" Starfire said, noticing the frown on her friend's face.

"Not sure…there's a weird sense in the Tower…almost like there's someone else here, somewhere…but it's so small I can't pinpoint it."

"Perhaps it is merely a small animal of some sort, like your Earth mice."

"Maybe…" Raven said, but didn't really believe it. She could tell the difference between an animal sense and a human one.

Raven pushed it out of her mind for the time being though as they reached Starfire's room. "Okay, what is it that we couldn't talk about with the boys around?" Raven said as she closed the door.

"It is a little embarrassing," Starfire admitted with a bit of a reddened face, "but…lately my digestive system has occasionally been rejecting the food I have eaten."

Raven made a face. "You mean you threw up?"

"If that is what you call it…such a symptom has never been seen on my planet. Is this a common Earth illness?"

"It might be the flu," Raven said, understanding Starfire's hesitation to speak in front of the boys; talking about throwing up wasn't the most pleasant of topics between genders. "If that's the case, then yeah, that's a fairly common symptom. What else?"

"Perhaps it is a result of this 'throwing up,' but I have also been desiring larger quantities of food lately," Starfire said. "Occasionally even for foods that I have never desired before in my life."

"You mean like Beast Boy's tofu the other day?" Raven said, referring to a couple of days beforehand when Starfire had amazed everyone by eating more tofu in one serving than Beast Boy had the entire day, and then demanding seconds.

"Yes," Starfire agreed. "Is that common of this 'flu' sickness?"

"Not really," Raven said. "That one sounds more like…"

Raven suddenly stopped herself. _No, that couldn't possibly be it,_ she said to herself. _That ridiculous._

"More like what?" Starfire pressed.

"Nothing," Raven said. "Any others?"

"Only some mild stomach cramps."

"All right then, let me go check some of my books, I'm sure I could find some sort of herbal remedy for you."

"Thank you, friend Raven," Starfire said, and smiled, something that was still rare to see from her. "And good luck finding the other sense of which you spoke."

"Thanks," Raven said. She opened the door and was halfway out into the hall when she stopped dead, her face frozen in disbelief.

_The other sense,_ she thought to herself. _One so small I can barely feel it…and those symptoms Starfire had…no, it couldn't be…could it?_

"Raven? Is something the matter?"

She spun to see Starfire standing behind her, politely curious. Raven chanced a glance downward and noticed, for the first time, a slight roundness to the alien girl's stomach, and her eyes widened in surprise.

_Maybe she is after all…no, don't jump to conclusions, _Raven instructed herself. _You have to see for sure._

"Starfire…I've had an idea about your symptoms, but I need to try something first, just to make sure, okay? Hold still for a second."

"What are you going to do?"

"Just trust me," Raven said. The dark girl knelt down and placed one hand on Starfire's stomach. She closed her eyes and muttered, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

It took less than a second for the answer to come to her.

Raven's eyes flew open in shock and amazement. It was the absolute last thing she would have expected, especially of Starfire.

"Raven, you have discovered my illness?" the alien girl asked tentatively. "It is this 'flu,' is it not?"

Raven slowly shook her head no, hardly daring to believe what she'd just discovered. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. _Starfire…Starfire, of all people…_ she thought to herself.

"It is not the flu?" Starfire said. "Is it worse? Please, Raven, what is it that ails me?"

"Starfire, this is no illness."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Star…I don't know exactly how to tell you this, but…you…you're…"

"What? What am I?"

"…pregnant."

* * *


	4. The Cold, Hard Truth

Innocence Lost by CidGregor 

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Raven had had no idea exactly what do expect next. Would the alien girl be happy? Confused? Scared? Some mixture of all three? Raven didn't how the issue of pregnancy was dealt with in someone as young as Starfire in her culture, if it was even an issue at all. The only thing Raven felt somewhat sure of was that she would immediately want to speak to Robin; Raven couldn't think of anyone else that might be the lucky dad.

But whatever reaction Raven had expected to see from Starfire, it was certainly not this. A wave of pure shock and terror had struck the alien girl's face; then she had collapsed on her bed, as though she had fainted, and burst out crying, more than she had in weeks.

"Starfire? What's wrong?" Raven asked tentatively.

Starfire barely heard the question, for she was lost in her own sorrows. She had thought…_hoped_ that that night was behind her…she'd hoped her friends would never have to know…but now she couldn't hide it any longer. There was no hiding something like this. What would they all say when they found out? Picturing their horrified faces was almost as bad as thinking about actually telling them the truth. And Robin…the weight of it would crush him…Starfire knew he would somehow find a way to blame himself for it, and suffocate himself with the guilt…

"Star, I…I'm sorry if this isn't good news for you…" Raven said. "I won't tell the others if you don't want me to, but…they're going to find out; sooner, not later."

"I must speak to Robin."

The words were no surprise to Raven. "I figured as much. Funny…I always figured you two had a little more self control."

The second the words were out of her mouth, Raven wished she could take them back; Starfire's sobs grew louder, her eyes were turning red and puffy; and Raven realized that she had seriously misjudged the situation.

"Okay. You stay here, I'll go get Robin," Raven said.

"I must continue to speak with you, as well," Starfire said through her tears. "You…need to know the truth, now."

Raven swallowed nervously, and realized she'd never felt more scared in her life. Pieces of the puzzle surrounding Starfire over the last few months were starting to fall into place, and there was little room left for guesswork. It was still only suspicions, but Raven was already drawing conclusions in her head, and none of them were pleasant thoughts.

"Okay," she said, and hurried off to find Robin, hoping with all her will that her suspicions were wrong.

* * *

"YOU'RE _WHAT_?" 

Robin's eyes were bulging behind his mask, his face showing quite clearly that this was the last thing he'd ever expected to hear Starfire say.

"I am…pregnant," Starfire repeated, fighting back her tears as hard as she could.

For a full minute Robin could do nothing but sputter incoherently as thousands of possibilities swam through his head. "But…you…I mean…we…I…you can't be pregnant!"

"She is, Robin," Raven said. "Trust me. I can sense the child. It's a very faint sense, but it's there."

"But how…?" Robin said, going very red. "I mean…we've never…"

"I know," Raven said. "That's what scares me."

Robin barely registered the words. "How far along is she?"

"I can't say for sure, but judging by the sense of the child, and the symptoms Starfire has right now…I'd say about three months."

"Three months?" Robin said. "That's right about when…"

The Boy Wonder's brain ground to a shuddering, heart-stopping halt just then as pieces began to click into place, just as they had for Raven. "No…you don't think…?"

"I think we need to let Starfire tell us what exactly is going on before we start jumping to conclusions," Raven said, turning her pointed stare upon Starfire.

The alien girl's sniffles quieted, but didn't fade entirely. "I am…sorry, friends, that I have kept this from you for so long…I simply could not face having to relieve that night all over again…but it seems I no longer have a choice."

Raven visibly stiffened, her worst fears slowly being confirmed. "Tell us."

Starfire nodded, and at last began to tell them of that fateful night.

* * *

_"Ugh…could this guy possibly weight any more?" Beast Boy said. Cyborg's deactivated body was hanging limply, supported only by Beast Boy and Raven._

_Starfire looked back the way they had come not really listening to Beast Boy's comments. She stood there for a few minutes, wondering if Robin was okay. He was all alone, fighting that strange villain. Starfire wanted to help him, but she knew Robin and Raven were right. With Analyst's device robbing her of her powers, she would only get in the way. So she was simply forced to be content with hoping he would be all right._

_She turned to look forward again, and to her shock she realized that Beast Boy, Raven and Cyborg were gone. She looked up and down the street, but they were nowhere to be seen. They must have continued walking, not realizing that Starfire had stopped. How long had she been standing there?_

_She looked up at the sky, trying to get some idea of where she was, but it was a cloudy night; there were not stars visible by which she could find her way home, and down on the ground she had very little sense of direction in the city, as she was usually flying over it. She was lost._

(Perhaps the locals might know where I am, or which way my friends went,) _Starfire thought. She immediately spotted two men nearby, standing at the edge of an alley, and hurried over._

"_Pardon my interruption, sirs, but might you have seen my three friends pass by here a short while ago?"_

_The two men glanced at one another, and smiled. "Yeah, sure, hon," the one on the left said. "They went right down this way. C'mon, I'll show ya."_

"_Oh, thank you!" Starfire exclaimed, and followed the man who had spoken down the alleyway. The second man followed behind her. _

_A second later Starfire felt a blinding pain in the back of her head. She fell forward onto her knees, and bit her lip to stop herself from crying out. She wasn't used to feeling such pain; but without her alien strength, she felt it as strongly as a normal human. The first pain was quickly joined by a second as rough hands grabbed her by the wrist and slammed her into the wall, and suddenly the two men were staring at her with unpleasant, hungry smiles on their faces. She tried to pull her arm free, but she was still powerless from Analyst's machine._

"_I would like you let go of me now, please!" Starfire said._

"_What's the hurry, hot stuff?" one of them said. As he spoke, Starfire felt his hand on her leg, slowly tracing its way upward, and Starfire kicked wildly out at him, horrified. _

"_You will not do that again!" she shouted._

"_Oh, what's the matter? Didn't like it?" he said in a terribly fake-nice voice._

"_I most certainly did not!"_

"_Too bad."_

_She felt the hand touch her leg again, and Starfire began to scream, but another hand reached out and clamped over her mouth, muffling the sound. _

"_Keep her quiet, would ya?" one of them said. A second later Starfire felt a wad of cloth being shoved into her mouth, muffling her screams further. She screamed as loud as she could, but nothing more than a mumble escaped. Starfire struggled with all her might as the hands quickly grew more and more invasive, but she was overpowered; she could do nothing, nothing at all but watch in horror, as the thugs dragged her down into the darkest depths of her own personal Hell.

* * *

_


	5. Recovery

Innocene Lost by CidGregor

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

A cold, painful silence echoed through the room as Starfire paused her story, momentarily unable to continue. Old wounds were being torn open, wounds she never wanted to deal with again, and wished so desperately that she could erase forever. But it had happened, and she had ended up pregnant as a result; there was no changing that.

She looked up at her friends through her reddened, teary eyes, wondering exactly how they were taking the news. Robin's expression was one of mingling rage, horror, and pity, and his hands were balled tightly into fists as though he was longing to wring them around the necks of those thugs. But he remained silent, controlling his anger and frustration.

Raven, however, wasn't dealing with it quite as well. She was positively seething with barely-contained fury, her muscles so tense they were shaking, and an all-too-familiar red glow had reached her eyes. The injustice of it was almost more than she could bear. For such a horrific fate to befall Starfire was a deeper tragedy than even Raven's darkest books could usually express; she was so innocent, so caring...she was everything that was right with the world. She didn't deserve this, and it pushed Raven to the end of her rope.

"What…" Robin started to say, but his voice failed him. He took a deep breath and tried again. "What happened…to the men…after…?"

"They'd be burning in the deepest circles of Hell if there's any justice in this world!" Raven snapped. Privately, Robin couldn't agree more.

Starfire seemed to lose what little was left of her usual glow, and Robin nearly started crying himself. Surely it couldn't get any worse, could it?

"Just after…it happened," Starfire continued, "I felt my abilities returning. I felt…more terrible than I had ever before in my life…and it was all their fault…I wanted to make them pay for what they'd done…I…"

"You…killed them…?" Robin whispered.

She sniffed and nodded. "I just…lost control…and once it was done…I just could not face anyone, knowing what I had done…"

Starfire fell silent at last, the whole terrible tale finally out in the open. She threw her arms around Robin and cried freely on his shoulder, and Robin hugged her tightly to him, never wanting to let her go. This was everything he'd ever been afraid of about loving her…he hadn't been able to protect her when she'd needed it the most. He felt disgusted with himself. But he pushed those thoughts aside for the time being and did whatever he could to comfort his dearest friend. Right now she needed him, and this time he was going to be there every second of the way.

Raven, meanwhile, decided it was time she left, and give the two dear friends some privacy. She needed some serious meditation, in any case; she was still riding the breaking point of her emotions, though she had felt a little calmer once Starfire had revealed the thugs' fate. She opened the door and stepped out of Starfire's room, and almost ran right into Beast Boy, who happened to be walking by.

"Oh, sorry, Raven," the changeling apologized quickly. "Didn't see you…" he trailed off then as he glanced through the open doorway and saw Robin and Starfire's tear-stained faces as they held one another. Beast Boy's eyes went wide. "Dude, what…?"

Raven shut the door quickly. "It's none of your concern. Leave them alone."

"But what's wrong with them? Is everything okay?"

"I SAID IT'S NONE OF YOUR CONCERN!" Raven shouted, and Beast Boy took a few steps back; Raven's eyes were suddenly blazing red; all four of them. Beast Boy wasn't stupid; he knew when to drop the subject. Raven spun away from him and down the hall to her own room, slamming the door as she went. Beast Boy glanced back and forth between the two closed doors, wondering just what was going on that had three of his teammates in such a bad mood.

* * *

The next few days passed without incident. Starfire spent most of it in her room, and Robin spent much of that time with her, comforting her, helping her to heal. Raven too did as much as she could to help the alien girl move on from her ordeal, but it was hard to do so when there was such a constant reminder, growing inside her. And it didn't help that she still had to tell Beast Boy and Cyborg the truth. Still, Starfire felt a lot better now, more than she thought she would, in fact; talking about it had helped immensely, and she felt as though much of the burden had been lifted off her shoulders. She now found herself more concerned with Robin than her ordeal. The time he wasn't with her was spent either locked up in his room, or locked in the gym. Starfire felt quite sure that he was beating himself up, and she had first guessed. Robin was trying to find ways to put all the blame for that night on his own shoulders. Starfire voiced her concerns to Raven one day as the two ate breakfast alone, and the dark girl agreed. 

"I'll go talk to him," Raven assured. "Maybe I can talk some sense into him."

"Thank you, Raven," Starfire said with a relieved smile.

Raven got up to go, but paused at the doorway and looked pointedly at Starfire. "Listen…it's not very noticeable yet, but pretty soon you're going to start to show. BB and Cyborg aren't blind, they're going to notice. You're going to have to tell them, too. Soon."

The smiled faded slightly from the alien girl's face, but she nodded. Satisfied, Raven headed for the gym. She figured Robin would be there, and sure enough, as she approached she heard Robin's loud grunts and the constant thudding of him pounding on the punching bag. She rounded the corner into the gym, watching Robin as he beat the punching bag mercilessly; it would not have surprised Raven if Robin told her he was imagining it to be the thugs.

"Robin," she called, and he stopped suddenly, sweat dripping down his face as he turned to look Raven in the eye.

"What is it, Raven?"

"Look, I know what you're thinking, and you need to stop it, right now. Beating yourself up over what happened to Starfire won't make anything better. None of it was your fault to begin with."

"She wanted to stay with me," Robin countered, so quickly that Raven realized he'd been expecting this. "She wanted to help me fight Analyst, and I made her leave."

"Robin, you had no way of knowing what was going to happen," Raven said.

"Then I should've dealt with Analyst faster!" Robin shouted. "If I'd been just a couple of minutes quicker she could have fought those lowlifes off, and she never would've been…"

Robin stopped himself; he just couldn't bring himself to say it. To say the word was to give it more power.

"Robin, stop being so thick. No matter what you think you could've done to prevent it from happening, it doesn't change the fact that it happened. Like it or not, Starfire was raped that night, and now she's pregnant, and there's nothing you can do to change it. So stop feeling sorry for yourself."

Robin winced horribly at hearing the word…it was like it washed away any sort of lingering fantasy left in his mind, leaving him with nothing but the cold, hard truth.

"Do you know what Starfire is worried about right now?" Raven continued. "She isn't thinking about herself even a bit. She has every right to worry about no one else but herself. But all she's worrying about is you. Because she knew you would blame yourself for it somehow. She isn't even worried about her child. Do you realize the possibility of not keeping it hasn't even crossed her mind? She has every intention of raising that child, no matter how hard it might be on her. But after everything that's happened to her, her biggest concern is for you. Is that what you want?"

Robin's eyes shifted down to the ground, furious with himself all over again. No, of course he didn't want that. Starfire…she was so caring…even after being raped, even with a child on the way, her deepest concern was for him…who was he to make her worry like that? And she was going to keep the child…even though it had come about because of rape, she still wanted to raise it. She would be doing it all by herself, without a father to raise the child alongside her…and he, Robin, was sitting here feeling sorry for himself? Robin felt disgusted with himself. He had to apologize…he had to make it right.

_And I won't let her do this alone_, he added. _If she really wants to have this baby, then I'm going to make sure it doesn't grow up without a father._

"You're right, Rae," Robin said. "I'd better go talk to her."

Robin walked past her, and Raven almost gagged. "You, uh…might want to take a shower first."

Robin grinned sheepishly. "Oh, right…heh…good idea."

* * *

Starfire traced one finger gently around her stomach, and wondered how she had not noticed its new roundness sooner. She could still hardly believe it…she was going to be a mother…it hadn't come about the way she'd wanted it to, but it was still quite a significant thing to her. There was so much to think about now…so much to prepare for…would it be a boy or a girl? Would it be Tameranean or human, or some mixture of the two? What would she name the child? Would she be a very good mother? 

_Would Robin stand beside me?_

Almost as though summoned by that thought, she heard Robin's voice outside her room as he poked his head through her open door. "Hi, Star. Can I come in?"

Starfire smiled. "Of course, Robin. You are always welcome in my room."

Robin returned her warm smile and sat down beside her, but as he spoke his expression turned deadly serious. "Listen…I want to apologize. I know you've been worried about me, but you shouldn't be. I just have to say that…I'm sorry I couldn't protect you when you needed it the most."

Starfire only smiled again. "It was not your fault, Robin. I am sorry as well, if I have caused you to take the blame upon yourself."

"No, Star, don't apologize," Robin insisted. "You've done nothing to apologize for. I was just being stupid. But Raven knocked some sense into me."

"I am glad," Starfire said. She glanced down and again traced a finger around the slight bulge of her stomach. "Now I am only concerned about my child…"

"The baby? Why?"

"I was never taught to be a mother back home. I do not know if I will be…good at it. And the child will be without a father. I…fear for him…or her, as the case may be."

"Star, don't talk like that," Robin said. "You are the most wonderful, kind, caring person I know. You're going to make a great mother. And…you won't be doing this alone. Not if I can help it."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Star…if it's all right with you…let me be the father to your child. This kid deserves loving parents, and I want to make sure he has them."

"Or she," Starfire reminded him.

"Or she," Robin nodded. "What do you say, Star? Think I'd be any good at playing daddy?"

Almost immediately Starfire's eyes began to tear up, and Robin was deathly afraid he'd said something wrong, but then the alien girl's face broke out into a huge smile, and she threw her arms around him.

"Robin…nothing in this world would make me happier than to raise a family with you."

Robin broke out in a grin as well. "Really?"

"Really. Of course you may be the father to my child."

Starfire pulled back and gazed into Robin's face, and not for the first time she wondered what his eyes looked like behind that mask. All of a sudden she was struck by an overwhelming curiosity, and without a second thought she reached up and pulled it off of his face.

"What the…?" Robin stuttered, a little surprised, but he stopped as he looked back at Starfire, not through the shield of his mask, but with his own startlingly blue eyes. Somehow she looked so much more beautiful this way; he was amazed that he hadn't done it himself sooner.

"Forgive me, Robin," Starfire said, "but I realized I did not even know what color your eyes were. I was…curious."

"It's okay, Star," Robin assured her. "Is it what you were expecting?"

"Yes. They are quite handsome eyes. And I love blue."

"I love _you_."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Starfire, and Robin's eyes widened in shock as he realized what had happened. "Did I say that out loud?"

Starfire nodded, suppressing a grin, and Robin went very red, but he was saved from further embarrassment a moment later.

"I love you as well, Robin."

And without waiting for a response from the stunned superhero, Starfire pulled him forward into a deep, longing kiss, and Robin forgot his embarrassment and he kissed her back. It was a most wonderful feeling for the both of them…so warm, so comforting…it felt…_right_. Like there was no one in the world that they were meant to kiss except each other.

The two lost themselves in the moment, and forgot about all their troubles, about their feelings of guilt, even about that one fateful night. For them, at that moment, all was right with the world.

* * *


	6. Out in the Open

Innocence Lost by CidGregor

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"You wanna pass me, but you can't pass me!"

"You just watch, Cyborg, I'm about to make my comeback!"

"Oh, no you won't, not while I've still got…NITRO!"

Cyborg mashed four different buttons on his controller at once and his car took off like a rocket, blowing past the finish line miles ahead of Beast Boy.

"Dude, that was so not cool!"

"Face it Beast Boy, you're not gonna beat me at my best game!"

"One of these days, Cyborg, I'll get you, you just watch…"

At that moment Starfire floated into the room, calling a halt to their debate. She waved a friendly hello to them and then proceeded to empty the fridge of anything edible and started eating as though she hadn't for days, drawing confused stares from the two boys. This was slowly becoming routine; Starfire had been eating quite a lot lately, and the Titans were beginning to have trouble keeping the fridge stocked.

It had been almost another two months since Starfire's ordeal, and now the bulge of her stomach had grown considerably. But Beast Boy and Cyborg remained blissfully unaware of her traumatic experience, or of her resulting pregnancy, leaving them to draw other conclusions about Starfire's eating habits as of late.

"Dude, I don't have the heart to tell her, but she's gettin' a little bulky, if you know what I mean," Beast Boy whispered.

"Yeah, I know," Cyborg said, concern in his voice. "I don't know why she suddenly started eating so much, but it's definitely not healthy for her. I mean, she used to be pretty thin, and now look at her."

Raven entered the living room just then, carrying one of her books and a mug of herbal tea as usual. She smiled warmly at Starfire as she settled down at the kitchen table beside the alien girl and began chatting in low voices. A second later Robin came in as well and joined the girls in their conversation, all three of them looking quite happy.

Beast Boy and Cyborg exchanged a confused glance. "D'you suddenly get the feeling they know something we don't?" Beast Boy asked.

"What was your first clue?" Cyborg said back. "I can't let Star do this to herself, I'm gonna say somethin'."

"With Raven sitting right next to her? Good luck. I'd rather keep my head on, thanks."

"You're coming too," Cyborg muttered, grabbing Beast Boy by the back of his shirt and carrying him over to the kitchen table.

"Ow, hey, lemme go!" Beast Boy shouted, and Cyborg dropped him on the ground in front of Robin and the girls, who had quit talking and looked up to see what all the commotion was about.

"Look, Star," Cyborg said quickly, "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but…well, BB and I were just talking, and, well, we think you've been eating a little too much lately, and it ain't healthy for you. It's making you kinda…well…big. We're worried about you're health."

Raven's eyes narrowed, not at Cyborg and Beast Boy, as the mechanical man had expected, but at Starfire. "You haven't told them yet?"

Some of Starfire's usual happy glow seemed to fade. "No…" she said.

"Didn't I tell you this would happen?" Raven added.

"Yes…but I…"

"Raven, that's enough," Robin said shortly, his own good mood gone as well. "Don't make it harder than it already is."

Beast Boy and Cyborg had absolutely no clue what any of this meant, and the two thought again that it seemed the other three Titans knew something that they didn't.

"I didn't mean anything by it, really," Cyborg said apologetically. "I was just…worried, seeing Star eat so much…"

"You do not need to be worried, Cyborg," Starfire said. She took a deep breath, as though steeling her nerves. "I must eat more than is usual for the time being, as I am…well…eating for two now."

It took a second for the meaning of the words to penetrate the minds of the two boys, and it was obvious to Starfire exactly when it hit them, for Cyborg's eyes bugged out, and Beast Boy let out a small squeak of surprise.

"You…you're…that's…" Beast Boy stuttered incoherently.

"Our little Star's gonna be a mommy!" Cyborg said, breaking out in a huge grin and sweeping her up in a bear hug.

"Whoa…dude, that's…I mean, well…congratulations, Star! And…uh…" Beast Boy continued to stutter.

Cyborg let go of Starfire and turned to Robin, a very different grin on his face now. "Robin, you sly dog, didn't know you had it in ya…"

Cyborg trailed off then as he registered the look on Robin's face; he didn't look remotely happy; quite the opposite, he looked like he'd just swallowed a lemon. Raven, too, didn't look even remotely happy. Even Starfire had a depressed look on her face.

"Uh…did I say something wrong?" Cyborg asked nervously.

Raven spoke up first. "Robin's going to be the father figure, yes, but…"

"…he is not the birthfather," Starfire finished, her eyes downcast.

Cyborg and Beast Boy exchanged another nervous glance. This didn't sound good at all.

"You recall, several months ago, the day we fought the villain Analyst who robbed us of our powers?"

"Yeah…" Cyborg said slowly.

Beast Boy nodded as well, and suddenly a stray memory clicked in his head. "You never did tell us why you were so upset that night."

"I did not want anyone to know…but…well…now that I am to have a child…"

Cyborg suddenly got it. "No…Star, no, don't tell me…"

"What? What happened?" Beast Boy said, still clueless.

"I was separated from you three while escaping from the Analyst, and got lost without my flight ability…there were…a pair of men on the street…they…"

Beast Boy's face fell as the truth struck him at last. "Oh, Star…that's terrible…"

"I am sorry I kept it from you…there should not be secrets between friends," Starfire said. "I felt you should know the truth."

"Oh, man…Star, I'm so sorry…it must've been horrible for you…" Cyborg said.

"Thank you for your kindness, friends," Starfire said. "I am happy to have such wonderful people to call my friends, that they might help me in times of sadness. But that time is over. Now there is only the celebration of the new family Robin and I shall share!"

Starfire's usual glow seemed to come back full force. "Let us journey to the mall of shopping and purchase garments and toys for the new child!"

Inspired by the return of Starfire's energy, the dark cloud that had fallen over the team in the last few minutes evaporated instantly; even Raven agreed to join in the celebration of the new arrival and the journey to the 'mall of shopping.' As they went, Starfire was quite happy to find that almost every trace of her sadness had gone. Memories of the incident would never leave her completely, but she had moved on, thanks to her friends, and to the man she loved.

And so the days and weeks passed; at seven months the Titans threw Starfire a baby shower, and even the Titans East came to visit, though the original Titans decided to keep the matter of the rape to themselves and simply said that Robin would be the baby's father. At eight months, both Starfire and Robin began to grow nervous, now that the prospect of becoming parents was literally right on their doorstep, and not just because of the issues of parenting; they were superheroes, and the city depended on them to stop the criminals that the police could not. But Starfire was in no condition to fight any longer, and Robin found himself reluctant to leave Starfire alone to go fight; he remembered all too well what had happened the last time he'd done that. Fortunately Más y Menos graciously agreed to fill the gap in the team whenever they were needed, as the twins could traverse the distance between the two teams in a matter of minutes.

At last, about a week before the projected due date, Raven burst into Robin's room, a ridiculously uncharacteristic grin on her face.

"Robin…her water just broke…it's time."

* * *


	7. Arrivals

Author's Note: this chapter contains a short bit of discussion on the subject of abortion. The views expressed in this part are not necessarily those of myself, the author, but merely those which I felt were most appropriate and characteristic of the characters involved. Thank you.

* * *

Innocnce Lost by CidGregor 

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"Ooohhh…" Starfire moaned in pain. "I was not informed that childbirth would be quite this difficult…"

"Don't worry, Star, you're doing fine," Robin assured her. "I know it hurts, but you're strong, you can get through it. It'll all be over soon."

"And we shall have our child," Starfire said. "Yes, you are right, Robin…still, despite Raven's warnings this is considerably more painful than I imagined it wou…OOWW!"

Robin clutched Starfire's hand comfortingly as she winced in pain from another contraction, and she squeezed back, nearly crushing his hand with her alien strength; but Robin didn't care, he had other things on his mind. "Everything all right, Doctor Li?" he asked the woman who stood at the business end of the birthing bed.

"Just fine," the doctor assured. "We're just about ready to start pushing, okay, hon?" she added with a glance at Starfire.

"We're almost there, Star," Robin said. "You ready?"

Starfire nodded. Another grimace crossed her face.

"All right, that's it, now push!" Doctor Li instructed.

Robin held her hand in both of his own, not even noticing how numb they were growing as his love inadvertently squeezed the life out of them as she pushed. "Just a little longer," he whispered in her ear, "just a little more."

"Got a head," Doctor Li updated. "Keep going, we're almost there."

"C'mon, Star, you can do it!"

"Mmmm…" Starfire muttered, squeezing her eyes shut as she worked.

"Shoulders…" Doctor Li muttered, "…torso…legs...there."

The pain was abruptly gone, and Starfire opened her eyes. "The child is…?"

"Right here," Doctor Li said, and a second later, the shrill cries of the newborn reached the loving parents' ears. There was a pause as the doctor cut the umbilical cord, then she wrapped the baby in a towel and lifted it up securely into her arms. "It's a girl," she said as she passed the baby into Starfire's waiting arms. "Congratulations."

"A girl…" Starfire repeated, positively glowing with happiness as she lifted the child high in her arms. "Oh, hello, precious new life! My name is Starfire, and I shall be your mother!"

"I don't think she can understand you quite yet, Star," Robin said with a grin.

"And this is Robin," she continued, ignoring his words completely. "He shall be your father. Welcome to Earth!"

Robin just shook his head and laughed. Starfire always had a way of doing that do him. "So…what should we name her?"

Starfire screwed her face up in concentration. "Ohh…I was so worried about actually having the baby that I forgot to create a name for her!"

"Well…I was doing some thinking myself, and…well…how about, Rosefire?"

"Rosefire…" the alien girl tried it out, and smiled. "That is a most wonderful name! Very well, new child, you shall now be named Rosefire!"

Doctor Li scribbled the name down on her clipboard. "Congratulations again," she said. "We'll move you to a regular room in just a minute. Would you like to allow your friends in once we get there?"

"Oh, yes, please!" Starfire said quickly.

Doctor Li nodded and stepped outside, beckoning a couple of nurses in. They brought in a wheelchair and gently lifted Starfire into it, Robin at her side the whole way. They moved her into a very quiet hall, passing a few doors that stood open, which, as Starfire glanced in each, she saw contained several families standing lovingly around a new mother. Starfire felt her cheeks glow with happiness, knowing that she was one of them.

Once they reached Starfire's room and settled her and Rosefire into her bed, Doctor Li went to bring in the other Titans, who had been anxiously milling about in the waiting room. A few minutes later Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg piled into the room in a hushed awe.

"Friends, I would like you to meet my daughter, Rosefire!" Starfire announced.

"Aw, she's so cute!" Cyborg said in a voice he usually reserved for his car.

"Looks just like you, Star," Beast Boy added. "She's got those same sparkly eyes."

"We're proud of you, Star," Raven added seriously. "Congratulations. I'm sure you guys will make a great family."

"Thanks a lot, everyone," Robin said.

_Robin…can you guys give Star and I a minute in private?_ Raven's voice suddenly came into Robin's mind. He raised his eyebrows in slight surprise, but nodded discreetly in agreement.

"Listen, Cy, BB, come outside with me for a sec, would you?" he said briskly, grabbing the two other boys by the shoulders.

"Huh? But we just got here…"

"Watch the threads, bird boy!"

_Wow…_very_ discreet, Robin…_ Raven muttered sarcastically into his head as the boys left.

Starfire looked at Raven curiously, wondering about the boys' sudden disappearance. "Is something the matter?"

"No…I just needed to talk to you privately for a second…"

Raven walked forward and sat down beside Starfire's bed. There was a strange expression on the dark girl's face, as though she was working up the nerve to say something and then get it out before she lost it.

"What is troubling you, friend?"

"Star…I have to ask…why did you decide to keep this child?"

"I…do not understand…why would I not keep my child?"

Raven grimaced. "It's just that…Star, it came about because of…well…rape. I…I don't know if I could have kept it, if it had been me."

Starfire understood then what Raven was saying, and looked seriously back at the dark girl. "Raven, the conditions of my becoming pregnant were…regrettable…but that is not the child's fault. What right is it of mine to take away a child's chance at life before they even have it, merely because of the circumstances of her conception? On my planet such actions are most severely frowned upon."

Raven nodded, as though she'd expected that answer. "Y'know, Star…you're a very brave person…braver than I ever thought you were before. There are a lot of people who wouldn't be able to do what you've done here today. I really am proud of you, Star. You're going to be a wonderful mother."

"Oh, thank you, friend Raven," Starfire said.

"No problem. So…you ready for some more visitors? It looks like the Titans East are here to see you."

* * *

"Oooo, señora Starfire tiene una niña nueva muy bonita!" 

"Sí, sí, pero la niña no tan bonita como su madre!"

Robin and Starfire stared blankly at Más y Menos, neither knowing what the super-fast twins had just said.

"_He_ said 'Starfire has a very beautiful new baby,'" Bumblebee suddely cut in, pointing first at Más, then at Menos. "And _he_ said, 'yeah, yeah, but the baby isn't as beautiful as her mother.'"

Robin and Star goggled at the leader of the Titans East, who grinned in a slightly embarrassed sort of way. "I've been studying Spanish," she admitted. "I figured at least one of us should be able to understand what those runts were yapping about all the time."

"Not a bad idea," Robin said. "Maybe I can get Cyborg to make a language program so he can understand them, too..."

A sudden series of beeps sounded from Robin's communicator. Robin reached for it and flipped it open. "This is Robin, what is it?"

"We've got some trouble, Rob," came Cyborg's grim reply. "Police reports are coming in faster than those twins. Overload and Plasmus are attacking, at two different ends of the city."

"Figures they'd pick today to pick a fight," Robin muttered, before snapping into 'leader' mode. "Cyborg, take Beast Boy and Speedy and go after Plasmus. Send Raven and Aqualad to deal with Overload. Bee, the twins and I will stay here."

"What? Why?" Cyborg demanded.

"If Overload and Plasmus have made a move, I wouldn't be surprised to see Cinderblock pop up along with them, and they have to be ready if that happens. Besides, I'm not going to leave Starfire alone."

"All right, Rob, you can count on us," came Cyborg's reply, and he signed off.

"Sí! Vamos a proteger la Señora Starfire!" the twins shouted together.

"You sure Cinderblock is gonna make a move, too?" Bumblebee asked.

"Positive," Robin said. "And if those three are up to something, Slade's up to something. But what?"

A massive crashing sound struck their ears just then, followed by a series of terrified screams and one deep, booming roar.

"HELP! It's a rock monster!" a patient screamed as her ran past the open door.

Robin's eyes narrowed in anger; it sounded as though Cinderblock had indeed attacked...right in front of their faces.


	8. Disappearances

Innocence Lost by CidGregor

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"HELP! HELP US!"

The terrified screams of the citizens washed over Cyborg as he arrived on the scene, Beast Boy and Speedy following close behind. Plasmus was rampaging down the street, spitting purple goo and green acid at everything and everyone in his path. Somehow the villain seemed to get uglier every time he popped up.

"Ugh…" Speedy muttered. "What IS that thing?"

"Plasmus," Cyborg said quickly, realizing that Speedy had never fought the villain before. "Not much more than a big walking hunk of snot, but he's strong."

"Great. Just what I needed today: to fight a giant hunk of snot."

"Dude, how do you think we feel?" Beast Boy retorted. "He breaks out of jail every other week and we're always stuck cleaning up his mess. I still can't get his stink out of some of my clothes."

"You sure that's his stink and not yours?" Speedy muttered.

"Put a lid on it, you two," Cyborg said, taking control. "Titans, GO!"

The three Titans charged forward. Cyborg started things off with a blast from his sonic cannon, drawing Plasmus' attention away from the innocent bystanders. He turned to face the approaching Titans, and spat a giant blob of purple slime their way. The three Titans scattered, surrounding Plasmus as they did so. Speedy cocked an arrow into his bow and let it fly; it stuck deep into Plasmus' gooey body and promptly exploded, splattering everything around with bits of purple slime, but the villain quickly reformed himself and spat a stream of acid at Speedy. The bowman leapt sideways, and the acid melted through a parked car behind him instead.

"Great…snot _and_ acid. This gets better and better," Speedy said. He primed another arrow, a freezing one this time, and fired. A blast of icy wind and a thick, freezing mist washed over the streets as the arrow struck, and when the mist cleared, Plasmus stood motionless, frozen inside a block of ice.

"Well that wasn't so bad," Beast Boy commented. "Nice shot, Speedy!"

"Thanks, I…"

"Don't celebrate…look!" Cyborg interrupted him, pointing back at Plasmus.

The ice was melting rapidly, and a second later Speedy realized why: the acid inside his body was eating at it, dissolving it from the inside.

"I got this!" Beast Boy exclaimed. In an instant the changeling had transformed into a T-Rex; with a swing of his massive tail the remaining ice shattered, again covering the surrounding area with bits of goo. This time however, it took Plasmus a lot longer to reform himself, and when he did, he was breathing hard, already exhausted.

"Looks like he's had about all he can take. Finish it off, Cy!" Speedy called.

"Done and done!" Cyborg said, firing his cannon. It struck Plasmus square in the face, sending him toppling over backwards and to the ground, knocked out.

"All right. I'll call in the police, they can take it from here," Cyborg said. "Let's hope things are going as well for Rae and Aqualad…"

* * *

"So who are we going after again?" 

Raven glared at Aqualad as the two ran. "I told you, his name is Overload."

Aqualad sighed. "No, I mean, _who is he_?"

"He's a super-advanced computer chip capable of controlling anything electronic and creating bodies for himself made of pure electric energy."

"Okay, now we're getting somewhere. So what does this guy look like?"

"Something like…that."

Raven and Aqualad arrived on the scene to find Overload in his energy-body form, sucking up the electrical energy from a power transformer and scaring away nearby workers with the blasts of lightning shooting out from all sides of his body.

"Okay…so how are we supposed to get close enough to hit him?"

"We don't," Raven said shortly. She gave Aqualad a small smile. "He's weak against water."

A grin broke out on Aqualad's face. "Weak against water, eh? This should be fun…"

Raven stretched out her senses, wrapped her power around a nearby fire hydrant, and ripped it out of the ground. The high-pressure water began to erupt from the ground like a geyser, drawing Overload's attention. Raven would have bet anything that if the villain had a face, it would have been contorted with fear right then.

"He's all yours," Raven said, gesturing dramatically between Aqualad and Overload.

Aqualad pointed one open palm at the fountain of water issuing from the broken hydrant, and then pointed at Overload. At his beckon call, the water seemed to come to life, and spiraled at lightning speed toward Overload. The villain leapt through the air and the water jet sailed under him. Aqualad arced the water jet around and shot it at Overload again, but he dodged again. Overload laughed, mocking the aquatic Titan.

"Think you're funny, huh?" he muttered. "Try and dodge this!"

Aqualad raised his other hand in one sharp movement, and the water jet split in two. The second jet now arced around behind Overload, meaning to sandwich the villain. But Overload simply leapt sideways this time and dodged them just as easily.

"You're better than I thought…okay, time for drastic action!"

Aqualad guided the two jets with his hands again, both clenched tightly into fists. The jets moved to either side of Overload again, but this time, as the jets neared their target, Aqualad flung his fists open, and the two jets split into ten, arcing all around Overload. The villain barely had time to utter a grunt of surprise before the jets doused him, short-circuiting him until he was nothing but a motionless hunk of metal.

"All right! Knew that'd get him!" Aqualad said triumphantly.

"And you didn't do that in the first place because…?" Raven muttered, shutting him up.

"Right, well…ahem…how are the others doing?"

Right on cue Raven's communicator beeped. She flipped it open and was met with Cyborg's smiling face. "Everything's cool here," he said. "You guys deal with Overload okay?"

"Yeah, but…" Raven trailed off.

"But what?"

"What were they doing here, Cyborg?" Raven asked rhetorically. "All they were doing was smashing things to bits. Something doesn't add up."

"Now that you mention it, it does sound a little weird. I was just thinking…these are the outskirts of the city…why'd they attack about as far away from downtown as possible?"

"It almost seemed like they were just luring us away…so someone could strike at a bigger target…"

Again, almost as though on cue, the communicator beeped, and Cyborg's face was replaced by that of a panicked Robin.

"Titans, get back to the hospital as fast as you can, Cinderblock's attacking!"

"Should've known…" Raven muttered. "We're on our way."

* * *

"RRAAAAWWRRRRR!" 

Cinderblock pounded a massive fist straight through the nearest wall, just missing the fleeting form of Bumblebee as she flitted around the concrete monster in tiny mode. She was dodging Cinderblock's blows easily, but as long as she was tiny her stingers couldn't do a thing to her opponent's thick, rocky body; on top of that, Más y Menos were too busy helping the doctors and patients and nurses escape to safety to be able to help her, and Robin flat-out refused to leave Starfire and Rosefire alone. So Bee was forced to deal with Cinderblock by herself. And that wasn't going very well.

She returned to normal size and blasted Cinderblock with her stingers again, which seemed to actually give him pause now that they were full size; but the rock monster recovered quickly and swung another massive fist at his now-much-larger target, and this time connected. Bee was sent flying backward, bouncing off a nearby wall and around a corner, out of Cinderblock's sight.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered to herself as she flipped open her communicator. "Robin, you gotta get down here and help me, I can't stop this guy alone!"

"It's too risky! I can't leave Star and Rosefire unprotected!" came his immediate reply. "You'll just have to wait until the others can get back…"

"They're on the other side of the city!" Bee cut him off. "They can't get here in time, Robin, and the twins are too busy helping the innocents escape! You're the only one left, Robin! Get your ass over here, now!"

* * *

Robin snapped his communicator shut, glaring furiously at it. He felt lousy, refusing to help his teammate…but Bee, at least, was capable of defending herself, he reasoned. Rosefire on the other hand was barely two hours old, and Starfire was exhausted. They were both defenseless. He couldn't just leave them… 

"Robin, you should go and assist Bumblebee in stopping Cinderblock."

Robin spun around to face Starfire, a terrified expression on his face. He dropped to one knee so that he was at eye-level with Starfire and grabbed her hand. "Star, I made a promise to myself…after what happened the last time I wasn't there to protect you, I vowed never to let something like that happen again. And now that Rosefire is here, that promise goes double. I am not leaving you!"

"But Robin, Bumblebee will be in grave danger if you do not go!" Starfire pleaded. "I could not bear the guilt if she were to be hurt because of me! Please, Robin, go and help our friend!"

Robin grimaced. "Star…I don't want you to get hurt…"

"We will be all right, Robin," Starfire insisted. "But Bumblebee will not unless you go, immediately!"

Robin slowly stood, as though it were costing him every bit of his resolve, and for a long moment he simply stood there silently. But when he spoke again, in was with hard determination.

"I _will_ come back for you, Star. I promise."

And with that he spun around and dashed off. Starfire leaned back on her bed, breathing a sigh of relief. She hoped Robin and Bumblebee would be all right fighting Cinderblock alone, but did not worry immensely over it. She knew Robin was capable of handling the villain. She shifted Rosefire in her arms and tried to get more comfortable, but froze as an unfamiliar shadow suddenly loomed over her. She glanced up, and saw a horribly familiar face.

She let out a scream, but it was quickly silenced as a sharp pain struck the back of her head, and everything went black.

* * *

"Bee! You all right?" Robin shouted as he rounded the corner and she and Cinderblock came into sight. 

"It's about time!" she shouted back. "Do what you need to do, I'll keep him busy!"

Bumblebee shrunk to the size of her namesake and began flitting around Cinderblock, zapping him with her stingers but not doing much more than annoying him. Robin charged forward, reaching into his utility belt as he did so and pulling out a flash bomb.

"Bee, cover your eyes!" he shouted as he threw it right in Cinderblock's face. The concrete monster flailed about blindly, his massive fists crashing through the few bits of wall that were left standing. Robin leapt through the air and delivered a flying kick straight into Cinderblock's face. Bee returned to normal size and added her stinger blasts to the assault, forcing the villain back under the hailstorm of her stingers.

"This ends now!" Robin shouted. He brought out his staff and swung it as hard as he could manage, directly into Cinderblock's head. The concrete monster toppled over sideways and crashed to the ground, out cold. Robin approached Cinderblock warily, ready to continue, but the villain didn't move again.

"Whew…thanks a lot, Rob," Bumblebee said, landing next to him.

"Sorry I didn't come earlier, I…"

"I know, you were worried about Star," Bee said. "But I'm sure she's…"

An earsplitting scream sounded from around the corner and down the hall, a scream that was abruptly cut off, and Robin was seized with terror; that was Starfire's voice.

"STARFIRE!" he screamed, and bolted down the hall as fast as he could go, Bumblebee speeding along right behind him.

_Let her be okay…please let her be okay…_ the Boy Wonder begged. He rounded the corner and sprinted down the hall, screeching to a halt in front of the door to Starfire's hospital room, which was ajar. Another jolt of fear ran through him as he realized that he'd shut the door as he'd left. He kicked it open, panic in his eyes, and gazed into the room.

Starfire's bed was empty.

* * *

Starfire woke, feeling groggy and weak and not at all sure what was going on. She opened her eyes, but the darkness remained, and Star was forcibly reminded of the night those horrible men had cornered her in the alley; it had been dark that night, too. Where was she? What was going on? Where was… 

Starfire let out a terrified gasp. "Rosefire!" she called out. "Where are you? Rosefire!"

"Why, she's right here, Starfire," a cold, familiar voice rang out.

A blinding light snapped on maybe twenty feet away from Starfire, and she saw that she was inside a prison cell of sorts. She tugged at the bars, but her muscles felt weak and small; even more so than after giving birth. She tried to blast the bars with star-bolts, but she couldn't summon them, either. But all of that was thrown from her thoughts when she looked up and saw, directly beneath the bright light, her daughter, sleeping inside a small clear case; whether it was made of glass or plastic, Starfire couldn't tell, but the mere sight of her daughter imprisoned like that made her blood boil.

"Glad to see you're finally awake…mother dearest," that voice spoke again. Starfire's head spun sideways, following the sound, and her eye fell upon a figure in black, orange, and silver armor…and a one-eyed mask. It was a face that she had seen all too often, papered all over Robin's room as well as deep in the heat of battle; a face that had tried to turn Robin, Terra, and even Raven to his terrible will.

It was the face of Slade.

* * *


	9. His Greatest Enemy

Author's Notes: Well, sorry this took longer than usual to get up, everyone, but I was temporarily swamped by finals and final papers...real life really gets in the way sometimes, eh? In any case the worst of it is over, so the next chapter should be done quicker than this one was.

I also just can't resist doing this...

CONGLRATULATIONS, 100 GRIT! (fireworks go off) You are officially my first negative review! And it's not a flame! Yay! To defend myself though: You do make a good point about the missing communicators, but then, doesn't it make sense that Analyst took them away? Also, Analyst and his machine were no less contrived and cliched than a handful of other villains on the show, and I wasn't trying to make Starfire clueless about being pregnant, just uninformed. As for the abortion thing, sorry you thought it was preachy, but A) it will have some significance a little later, and B) it fits Star's character, so I don't know what else I can tell you. You're right in that I didn't plan out the entire thing before I began, but that's more a plus than a minus the way I see it: I'm proud of this story, and that I did it without a buttload of advance planning just makes it that much more rewarding. Still, thanks for your review, and for taking the time to tell me why you didn't like it rather than issuing a mindless flame.

Okay, on with the show!

* * *

Innocence Lost by CidGregor 

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"I shouldn't have left them alone…"

The Titans watched Robin apprehensively, waiting for the inevitable explosion of fury that was bound to issue from his troubled soul. But it didn't seem to come. Robin only sat on the bed where Starfire and Rosefire had been mere minutes earlier, staring unseeingly at his hands and surely blaming himself for the disappearance of the two girls he cared about more than anything else.

"Robin, I'm sorry," Bumblebee offered. "This is my fault…I should've waited for the others to get back, I should've held off Cinderblock myself…some leader I am."

"I never should've left her in the first place!" Robin burst out savagely. "I couldn't protect her, again! And now I might not ever see her again…and Rosefire…my…my…"

Somehow, thinking of the word next on his lips made the whole situation worse, as though the true gravity of the situation hadn't hit until just then.

"My…daughter…"

"We'll find them, Robin," Raven said shortly. "We will find them, we will save them, and you will see them again, so quit feeling sorry for yourself."

More than a few eyes turned harshly upon Raven at the cold sound of her words, but she only returned the stony glares with one of her own. "I'm not a telepath for nothing, you know," she growled. "I can find them in a matter of seconds and we can go and…"

"That won't be necessary, sweet Raven," a cold voice rang out, making all of the Titans jump in shock. They looked wildly around for the source of the voice, and all eyes rested upon the communicator on Robin's belt. He snatched it and flipped it open, and saw the all-too-familiar mask of Slade staring back at him.

"YOU!" Robin shouted, eyes bulging.

"Me," Slade said with a low, cold chuckle. "I see you haven't forgotten me in all the commotion my associates have stirred up. Wonderful."

"You…you took them!" Robin accused.

"Was it that obvious?" Slade mocked him. "Dear me, I must be losing my touch…"

"If you've touched a hair on either of them, I swear, I will personally kill you…" Robin hissed at the communicator.

"Relax, Robin…they are just fine, for now. See for yourself…"

The image of Slade's face vanished, and was replaced by that of Starfire, locked inside a cell. She was pulling on the bars as hard as she could, but they refused to budge. Robin vaguely wondered why for a moment, but then the image changed again, and now he saw his daughter, Rosefire, sleeping inside a clear case that was just barely big enough for her, restricting her movement.

Robin almost crushed his communicator, he was gripping it so hard; seeing his two loves this way – caged, unable to free themselves, defenseless – nearly drove Robin to the edge of his sanity.

"Now, Robin, if you'd be so kind," Slade said as his face reappeared, "I want to arrange a little family reunion. Come to the industrial district at sunset. Alone, of course. You'll know where to find me when you get there. And trust me, Robin…you don't want to know what will happen if any of your friends decide to come along."

"What do you want with Star and Rosefire? Slade!"

"Sunset, Robin. Not a moment later."

The line went dead.

* * *

A shrill cry startled Starfire from her thoughts. She looked toward the source, and saw that Rosefire had woken up, and was bawling at the top of her lungs. Starfire pulled as hard as she could, but still she could not so much as budge the bars. Her strength had left her completely, though the redhead had absolutely no understanding of why. 

"Oh…weep not, Rosefire, your mother is here…I will free you somehow…"

"On the contrary, my dear Starfire," Slade interrupted, emerging from the shadows. "You will stay exactly where you are, like a good girl."

"Please, let me at least comfort her!" Starfire begged, quite forgetting her predicament in her concern. "She needs her mother!"

"She has to learn that she can't always get what she wants," Slade countered. "If she wants something, she must learn to do it for herself."

"You have no right to tell me how to raise my own child!" Starfire shouted back. "Release Rosefire, immediately!"

Slade snickered. "Rosefire…what a worthless name to give to such a special child…I can only assume you gave it to her."

"As a matter of fact, it was Robin who named our child!" Starfire said defiantly.

Slade actually laughed this time. "Robin? My, my, the boy grows weaker by the day…how unfortunate…and to think I once wanted him as my apprentice." Slade looked down into the case, almost as though admiring the child that lay inside. "From now on, you will be known as…Altair."

"How dare you!" Starfire shrieked. "Her name is Rosefire! How dare you attempt to take away the name we have given her!"

"Dear Starfire…Altair is so much more suitable a name," Slade mocked. "The name means 'star' in the Arabic language. You see how much more sense it makes?" Slade laughed again, the sound growing ever more horrible in Starfire's ears.

"Yes…Altair…so much more suitable a name…for my _new_ apprentice."

* * *

Robin sped through the heart of Jump City on his R-Cycle, desperate to get to the industrial district with plenty of time to spare, and find out where Slade was hiding with Starfire and their daughter. But the industrial district was huge; Robin had no idea where to start looking. 

"You sure you want to do this, Robin?" Cyborg's voice crackled at him through the receiver in his ear.

"I have to," Robin said shortly. "It's the only way to make sure Star and Rosefire stay safe. You heard Slade, if anyone else comes…"

"Okay, we get, Rob," Cyborg said. "Good luck, man."

Robin made to shut off the communicator, preferring to continue the trip in silence, but Raven's voice came through before he could.

"Robin, I think I know where Star and Rosefire are, but there's something weird."

"Where are you sensing them?"

"That's just it, I'm not," Raven said. "I can't sense them anywhere in the city, least of all in the industrial district. But there is a small area of about a couple blocks at the north end that I can't sense at all."

"What do you mean, you can't sense it?"

"I mean my powers are being blocked from that area. Slade must have figured out a way to shield himself from my telepathy. But he's definitely in that area somewhere, I'm sure of it!"

"Okay…thanks. Robin out."

Robin clicked off the communicator, and with a jolt he realized he had already reached the industrial district. He screeched to a stop and climbed off the bike; north was behind him, which meant that the area Raven had mentioned was definitely nearby. But he saw nothing to signify where Slade was hiding. The villain had told Robin he would know where to go, but Robin saw nothing. The sun was setting fast, and Robin grew more and more panicked; what if he couldn't find the right building in time? What would Slade do to Starfire, to Rosefire, if he didn't turn up?

He was saved from his dilemma, however, when the sun was about halfway behind the horizon, casting an amazing assortment of colors on the landscape. Robin remembered, with another pang of sadness, how much Starfire had always loved to watch the rising and setting of the sun; now, because he'd messed up a second time, she might never get to enjoy it again…

But then the light fell upon a low building nearby, and a bright flash came from the roof, as though a mirror was reflecting the light. The light changed, painting a new, and much less welcome, picture on the building across from it. It was a harsh, jagged 'S' shape...the insignia of Slade.

Robin dashed forward and into the building that had been marked with Slade's symbol, not caring about stealth and surprise and wanting only to cause Slade as much physical harm as possible. As he entered, doors slid open for him, guiding him straight to the heart of the building where Slade surely awaited him. Under any other circumstances Robin would've been highly suspicious of this; but his desperation to find his two loves clouded his better judgment. Robin charged determinedly forward, not caring what lay ahead, his entire will focused on finding Starfire and his daughter.

At last he burst into a massive chamber, lit only by a single light in the center of the room, and directly under it was a small glass case holding a small, crying child.

"Rosefire!" Robin cried, running forward.

Abruptly a second light snapped on to his right, stopping him dead as he turned to look. Slade stood beneath it, next to another cage that held a terrified-looking Starfire.

"Glad you could join us, Robin," Slade said in his cold, almost mechanical voice. "Step away from the child; unless you'd rather see your little girlfriend suffer the consequences of disobedience."

"No, Robin, do not give in to him!" Starfire shouted. "Do not worry about me, save our daughter! Save Rosefire!"

But Robin couldn't do anything but what Slade had instructed; he refused to let Starfire pay the price for his stupid mistakes again. With a great effort Robin stepped away from the case that held Rosefire captive, and toward Slade. "All right, Slade, you have me, now let them go, leave them out of this!"

"Now Robin, I don't recall saying it was _you_ I was interested in," Slade said.

"Then what did you bring me here for?" the Boy Wonder demanded.

"Call it a courtesy to an old friend," Slade mocked. "I simply wished to give you the chance to say goodbye to Altair."

"Altair? Who is…" Robin started.

"That is NOT her name!" Starfire cut him off. "Robin, Slade means to…AHH!"

Slade swung a quick fist right between the bars of Starfire's cage, catching her right in the face and knocking her out cold before she could finish.

"STARFIRE!" Robin shouted, his face contorting with mingled fear and rage. He brought out his staff and charged madly toward Slade, who leapt away easily, now putting himself between Robin and Rosefire. Robin spun around to face his most hated enemy, glaring furiously at him. But Slade only stood there and laughed.

"Robin…you've become so weak…you've let yourself be consumed by your pathetic feelings of love…and all for nothing."

"LET THEM GO!" Robin demanded one last lime.

"Well Robin…since I'm feeling generous today…"

Slade pressed a button on the controller on his wrist, and Starfire's cage suddenly swung open. Robin spun around and ran inside, kneeling down next to Starfire and cradling her head in one arm. "Star…c'mon, Star, wake up…" he whispered.

A loud slam told Robin that he'd fallen for Slade's tricks yet again as the cage closed and locked, trapping him inside as well. But he found that he didn't care just yet. All he wanted was to make sure his love was okay.

Slowly Starfire regained consciousness; her eyes fluttered open, and despite her obvious exhaustion she was brightened by the fact that Robin was the first thing she saw. "Robin…I am sorry…I tried to escape, but I could not break the bars…"

"It's okay, Star. The important thing is that you and Rosefire are safe," Robin assured.

She sat up and hugged him, but Robin broke away quickly as he turned to glare back at their captor. "Why couldn't Starfire get out this cage? Why is she so weak? What did you do to her?"

Haven't you figured out that much, at least?" Slade said. "Robin, you disappoint me more and more today…how I ever believed you could be my apprentice…"

"Enough word games, Slade! Answer me!"

"I assure you, Robin, I did not do a thing to your little girlfriend. _Him,_ on the other hand…"

Slade trailed off and looked pointedly at another dark corner of the room, and suddenly Robin realized that someone else was standing there in the shadows, and was emerging from them at Slade's beckon call. It didn't take long for Robin to recognize the figure's stunning likeness to his biggest teammate.

"Analyst…"

* * *


	10. The Darkest Deed

Author's Notes: Fair warning again...the subject of abortion is breached briefly in this chapter. Also, I did some asthetic changes to a few of the earlier chapters...mostly spelling and grammar cleanup, but there was a small matter that I fixed in the hospital scene; originally the other Titans came in to visit immediately after Star gave birth, which just doesn't happen; so that's been changed, they now wait to visit until she gets moved to her own room. Also added a little more detail to chapter 4, "Recovery" in Robin's conversations with Raven and Starfire in the second half.

To respond to a couple of reviewers:

titanfan: Analyst is not an existing TT villain, just a creation of mine.

mollykat and Paper Bear: I never read the comics, and my knowledge of them is extremely limited; all I know is a little about the TT's origins and a bit about the comic version of the Terra arc; so I have no knowledge of Nightfire or Rose.

And to everyone who commented of my cliffhangers: Hee hee! Well, what's a good drama without good cliffhangers to tease ya with? And while we're on the subject...as you'll come to see with this chapter, what's a good drama without...a surprise twist? Read on...

* * *

Innocence Lost by CidGregor 

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Analyst stepped into the light, smirking. "Glad you remember me, Robin…of course, you are the one who oh-so-charitably sent me to prison nine months ago, so I daresay it'd be hard for you to forget."

Robin glared at the villain. "You did it," Robin realized. "You and your machine cancelled out Star's powers and shielded your hideout from Raven's telepathy."

"Took you long enough to realize it!" Analyst laughed. "As my employer was just saying, I expected you to catch on much sooner than this."

"So you're working for Slade now?" Robin asked.

"Dear Robin," Slade spoke up, "Analyst has always been working for me. It was under my orders that he first attacked you that pivotal night. And I must say, he played his part beautifully."

A sudden rush of memories came to Starfire at the mention of the night they fought Analyst, threatening to drag her down into depression. No matter how much she moved on, that day still brought her nightmares. She shivered suddenly, remembering how cold the invading hands had been…

"Star, are you okay?" Robin asked. Starfire nodded, rather unconvincingly. Robin frowned a bit, still worried about her, but let it go and returned his attention to the two villains. "You still haven't told me what we're doing here, Slade!"

"Oh, but I did," Slade countered. "As I said, I simply wished to give you the chance to say your goodbyes to Altair."

"Who the hell is Altair and why should I give a damn?" Robin demanded.

"Temper, temper, Robin. You shouldn't speak that way of your daughter."

Robin's eyes narrowed. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Still slow on the uptake, I see…" Slade laughed. "Shall I spell it out for you, Boy Wonder?"

"Enough playing around, Slade! Let Star and Rosefire go!"

Slade laughed again. "I'm sorry, Robin, but there is no 'Rosefire' here." He strode slowly over to the case where the child was held. "There is only 'Altair.'"

And then Robin got it. His hands clenched into fists. "What do you want with our daughter?"

"Honestly, Robin, must I explain everything to you?" Slade said, shaking his head. He walked back toward Robin and Starfire's cage, eyeing both of them. "I want just what I've always wanted. An apprentice."

Robin's eyes flared. "Rosefire…NO! YOU WON'T TAKE MY DAUGHTER!"

"Now now, my boy, I think we both know that is not truly _your_ child."

Robin opened his mouth to snap back at his adversary, but froze halfway there as he realized what Slade had said.

Starfire, too, had a look of shock in her eyes. "How…how did you…"

Slade turned his eye on Starfire, and Robin could swear he was smirking behind that mask. "Since you asked so nicely…"

Slade turned his back on the two, and there was a moment of silence before Slade began to speak.

"It was perhaps a year ago that I realized something significant. After my failed attempts with you, Robin, and your old comrade Terra, I understood that that my search for an apprentice was proving fruitless. Teenagers have such a problem with authority, it seems. I needed an apprentice that I could mold from infanthood, from the beginning, one that I could raise in my image, teach to be entirely loyal, and train to one day rid this world of the Teen Titans. But I couldn't take just any child, no. If I wanted an apprentice that could stand up to the Titans, I needed a very special child. A child of the Titans themselves."

Robin was gripping the bars of the cage so hard it was bruising his hands, but he said nothing. Starfire stood next to him, listening to Slade's story with almost rapt attention.

"A child of Raven would yield an immensely powerful telepath, one that could dominate the minds and bodies of anyone I wished. I could easily dominate the souls of this city and make them my slaves. And dear Starfire…an alien warrior princess…with a child of hers, I would have at my command the most powerful warrior to walk the face of the Earth, one that, with the right training, I daresay might even stand shoulder to shoulder with Superman. The problem, of course, was that neither of you had children, and likely were not planning to for some time. And I wasn't going to wait around. I wanted my apprentice quickly. And that was where Analyst came in."

Robin's stare flew toward Analyst momentarily, before returning his attention to Slade. "What does he have to do with it?"

"Everything, Robin. You see…I knew that the odds of you and your little girlfriend producing a child on your own anytime soon were quite small. You were still stumbling around awkward greetings and sheltered feelings. And Raven...I wondered whether she would _ever_ have children. If I wanted my apprentice…I would have to resort to less conventional methods."

Robin glared furiously. He didn't like where this was going at all…if his suspicions were right…he glanced over at Starfire, who was still listening to Slade's story. It didn't look as though the same thought had occurred to her yet…but if Robin was right…

"When I first encountered Analyst about ten months ago, he was well into the process of building a most wonderful machine, one that could cancel out the abilities of the Titans; save for you, of course, Robin. But Analyst was missing some vital components to his machine. And that was where I came in. I saw possibilities with his work…I knew I could use it to obtain my apprentice. So I offered Analyst the components he needed to finish, in exchange for his services, and he agreed quite readily. Now all that remained was to decide who would be the one to bear me an apprentice…the demonic telepath, or the alien warrior? Needless to say, I chose you, dear Starfire. You proved to be so much easier to manipulate."

Slade looked straight at Starfire, and Robin saw a slow, dawning comprehension on her face. She was starting to connect the dots…and it tore at Robin's heart. _No…this can't be the truth, it can't…_ Robin pleaded to no one.

"I sent Analyst and his machine to face off with the Titans, though I did not really expect him to defeat you, Robin. No matter how much time he spent studying your abilities I knew you would have the upper hand."

Robin's glare flicked over to Analyst again, and caught a bit of wounded pride on the villain's face.

"However, I knew that you, Robin, would refuse to allow your weakened friends to stay. I knew you would send them out of the immediate danger. But more importantly, I knew that your girlfriend would not want to leave your side so easily. She hung back, letting herself get separated ever so slightly from the other Titans as they made their escape. And that was where Analyst's second device came in handy."

Slade held up a small, crystalline cube the size of a die. "A holographic generator. Compact, reliable, and highly convincing. Once you fell behind your comrades it was all too easy to throw a hologram of an empty city street between you and them. You couldn't have been more than twenty feet apart, and yet they were invisible to your eyes, and you to theirs. Then all that remained…were my final two…hired hands."

Starfire let out a strangled cry at Slade's words. _The two men…they were…_

"It's terrible, the sort of things that can happen to a defenseless young girl when she's all alone on a dark city street…wouldn't you agree, Starfire?"

Starfire fell to her knees, shaking. She wrapped her arms around herself, squeezing her eyes tight as the tears fell. Her whole body felt numb, and yet she was trembling uncontrollably. The memories of the rape infested her mind more deeply than ever, and now she could feel the icy cold hands once more. It was stronger than memory; it was as though she were living it all over again; she was helpless, paralyzed with fear, trembling as they pinned her to the wall…groping her, violating her…

"You…you evil…heartless…" Robin said, himself shaking with fury, and entirely unaware of what was happening to the girl next to him. "How dare you…how could you do this to her, just to get your damn apprentice! SHE'S DONE NOTHING TO DESERVE THIS! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HER, YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD!"

"Before you get too much into your little 'hero' speech, Robin," Slade said smoothly, "you might want to check on your girlfriend there…it seems I've…shaken her up a bit."

Robin whirled around and finally caught sight of Starfire, her whole body convulsing and her eyes flooded with tears. Robin knelt down beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder, but she immediately let out an earsplitting shriek and shoved his hand away, shaking worse than ever.

"Starfire, it's Robin!" he whispered. "It's okay, Star, I'm here…you have to calm down, or you're going to give yourself a seizure…just try to focus…I'm here for you…"

Robin tentatively placed his hand on her shoulder again; she flinched slightly, but did not scream or push him away. Taking that as a good sign, he brought up his other hand and began wiping away her tears. "Star, look at me…I'm here for you…everything's going to be all right, okay?"

Starfire opened her eyes, and the dark streets and cold, invading hands were gone. She only saw Robin looking back at her, concern etched into every line of his face. She blinked back the tears and flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly to her, which wasn't all that tight without her alien strength. But Robin didn't care; he returned the embrace, fighting desperately to hold back his own tears.

"How touching…and utterly pathetic…" Slade interrupted the moment.

The words brought Robin jolting harshly back to reality. He spun his head toward Slade, though still holding Starfire. "Why, Slade? Why Starfire?"

"I told you, Robin…I found that Starfire would be so much easier to manipulate. You know as well as I do that she has a certain…naïveté about her that Raven lacks. It made her easy to exploit. In all honesty Robin, I was not at all sure that I could make it work, had I chosen Raven. Even if I did manage to set her up as I did Starfire here…what guarantee would I have that she would keep the child?"

"What…what are you talking about?" Robin said.

"Raven is quite difficult to read, my boy, as I'm sure you know. If she were the one to be cornered in a dark alley…well…there was doubt in my mind as to whether she would want to give birth to a child that was conceived against her will. She said so herself just today, as you might remember, dear Starfire."

Starfire did indeed remember…Raven had told her that, if it had been her, and not Starfire, that became pregnant because of rape, she wasn't sure if she would keep the child. Slade, of course, must have been watching them the entire time.

"The odds were too stacked against me to choose Raven," Slade said. "But you, Starfire…you were so much simpler. I knew, with your love of life, your insufferably kind heart, that you wouldn't even dream of giving up a child, no matter how it came about. You were the obvious choice, Starfire…every little thing you did that night I predicted perfectly. You were your own downfall."

"Stop it!" Robin demanded, releasing Starfire and standing up straight. "That's enough!"

Slade sneered. "Does the truth hurt, Robin? Get used to it. It always does." The villan slowly turned away and walked over to stand beside Analyst. "And now, it is time for me to take my leave. Oh…and don't worry about Altair…I assure you I will take good care of her."

Slade made his way toward the case in which the child was held, but he was stopped halfway there by a furious voice.

"Her name…is _not_…Altair…"

Slade looked around to the voice; it was Starfire. She had climbed to her feet, and was still shaking…no longer with fear and terror, but, like Robin, with powerful, righteous fury…far more than she would feel to use her star-bolts.

_It was all Slade's doing…_ Starfire's furious thoughts said. _He was the one who caused this pain…he wants to take my child from me…but he shall not have her!_

The righteous fury suddenly seemed to take on form and shape within the alien girl. It flowed through her whole body, and amazingly, impossibly, her hands slowly began to glow green.

"What? Impossible!" Analyst gasped. "My machine…!"

"Increase the power!" Slade ordered.

"I can't! It already takes full power to cancel out their abilities! How is she doing this?"

The glow of Starfire's hands grew, bigger and brighter than they'd ever been before. Her eyes were blazing green as well, as bright as floodlights.

"_HER…NAME…_"

She raised her hands, pointing them directly at Slade and Analyst.

"_IS…_"

And suddenly the whole room was flooded with green.

"**_ROSEFIRE!_**"


	11. Unleashed

Innocence Lost by CidGregor

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

The nearest thing Robin could think of to describe the sight he was seeing was a great green sun exploding in front of his face, for the brilliance of the light energy bursting from Starfire's body nearly blinded him. Robin had never thought he would see Starfire become truly angry; it just wasn't in her nature, he always told himself. But that day, she proved him wrong.

A massive wave of raw, unchecked energy blasted from Starfire's hands, ripping the bars of the cage clean off as it closed in on Slade and Analyst. Slade's quick reflexes saved him from harm as he leapt aside with hardly an inch to spare. But Analyst wasn't so lucky. The star-beam hit him dead on, rocketing him backward and plowing him into the wall. His cybernetic parts – those that weren't destroyed in the blast – lost their dim glow and faded to black as they shorted out. As the star-beam faded, what was left of him collapsed in a heap, his human half groaning with pain.

Almost immediately after, Starfire felt her normal range of powers returning…without Analyst to run the machine, it had shut down entirely. But the return of her powers did not counter the wave of exhaustion that struck her a moment later; after having a child, being abducted, and releasing more power in one blast than she'd ever done in her life, Starfire's energy had finally run out. Her hands fell to her sides, and she dropped back to her knees, breathing hard. "Go, Robin…" she said between breaths, "go and defeat Slade…"

Robin wasted no time at all. He ran from the cage and planted himself between his beloved daughter and his hated enemy. "Slade! I _will_ make you pay for this!"

* * *

Miles away, in the hospital where Starfire had birthed a child not five hours earlier, the rest of the Titans sat in silence in the waiting room, not a soul knowing what was going on. Raven sat – or rather, levitated – in a corner of the room, meditating. Beast Boy and Speedy had taken to pacing back and forth, not able to sit still. Cyborg, Bumblebee, and Aqualad sat with looks of deep thought etched onto their faces, and Más y Menos lay asleep on one of the couches, snoring lightly. 

"Urrghh…" beast Boy spoke up, breaking the silence for the first time in an hour. "I hate this, just standing here all clueless! Can't we do anything to help them?"

"You heard what Slade said, man," Cyborg told him. "If we do anything to interfere, he might hurt Star and Rosefire. We're not gonna put those two in danger."

"But there has to be _something_ we can do!" Beast Boy argued. "Anything's better than sitting around here doing nothing!"

Raven did her best to ignore the changeling, but even she had to admit he had a point. Sitting here wasn't doing anybody any good. If only she could break through whatever shield Slade had set up to counter her telepathy, they might at least be able to find out what was happening…

Almost as though answering her prayers, the telepathic wall around Slade's hideout vanished. Suppressing her surprise, Raven wasted no time in stretching her senses inside the building. In an instant she could feel Robin, Starfire, and Rosefire, as well as…

"Analyst!" she said out loud.

"What? What about him?" Cyborg asked.

"The mental shield around Slade's hideout!" Raven explained. "It was Analyst's machine again…but Starfire shut it down somehow…"

"Is Rosefire okay?"

"Yeah," Raven said. "They're fine…but she's beat…and she says that Robin's fighting Slade…but…"

"But what?"

"I still don't sense Slade…but Starfire's looking right at him…I don't get it…"

"Worry about it later!" Cyborg said. "As long as Rosefire and Star are safe, then it's time we crashed Slade's party!"

"All right, finally!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Titans, GO!" Cyborg announced. En masse, the Titans piled out of the hospital and headed toward Slade's warehouse…all but two.

Menos jerked awake suddenly, and noticed he and Más were alone. He prodded his twin. "¿De donde son los Titans?"

Más looked groggily around, shrugged, and went back to sleep. Menos glanced around as well, gave a shrug of his own, and rejoined his twin in slumber.

* * *

Slade faced Robin, his one visible eye narrowing as he sized up his adversary. "I see you've remained as persistent as ever, Boy Wonder…for all your other failings today, that at least has stayed with you. But can you say the same of your fighting skills?" 

"Don't worry…I've been practicing."

"Practice only gets you so far, Robin. Time for something a little more _real_."

In the blink of an eye Slade closed the distance between him and Robin, swinging a metal-clad fist at his opponent. Robin blocked the blow and countered with a couple of quick strikes to Slade's unguarded stomach, but his fists struck only the hard metal of Slade's armor. An instant later Slade's fist swung again, striking Robin in the side of the head. He was thrown sideways toward the ground, but his reflexes proved as quick as Slade's. He caught himself with one hand to the ground and pushed off, flipping himself right-side-up and a little away from Slade. The villain leapt for Robin again, now wielding a staff. Robin whipped his own staff from his utility belt and blocked the savage blows that Slade rained down on him. Robin was forced on the defensive for much longer than he was used to; Slade's defenses were nearly perfect…_nearly_…

A brief opening presented itself to the Boy Wonder, and he took it without hesitation; as he caught one of Slade's strikes with his staff, Robin's foot shot forward at Slade's unguarded flank. Again, his armor seemed to absorb any real damage, but the force of the blow knocked him backward enough for Robin to get his footing again and go on the offensive. But just as Robin had done, Slade countered every blow Robin threw with almost frightening ease.

"You haven't learned much since we last fought, Robin," Slade said between blows.

"I've learned more than you think!" Robin countered. He flicked his wrists, and his staff separated into two shorter ones. Like lighting he brought one down, forcing Slade to block it and leaving him exposed to a strike from the second, which Robin delivered straight to his face. The short staff clanged loudly against the metal of Slade's mask, knocking the villain sideways.

"Impressive…" he said once he regained his balance. "Perhaps you've learned a few new tricks after all…but then…so have I."

In an instant a smoke bomb was in Slade's hand, and he slammed in to the ground in front of Robin. A plume of thick gray fog filled the Boy Wonder's vision and sent him into a coughing fit, causing him to lose sight of Slade completely. He braced himself for the imminent flurry of blows from his opponent, but they never came; in fact, as the smoke cleared, Slade seemed to have vanished entirely.

"SLADE! COME BACK AND FIGHT, YOU COWARD!" Robin screamed.

"Robin…" Starfire's weak voice reached his ears. "He…he took her…"

Robin's heart froze. His head whipped around toward the clear case where Rosefire had been held; it was open…and empty.

"There…" Starfire said, pointing to a door marked 'Stairs.' "He went that way…please Robin, you must catch him…"

Robin nodded and ran for the door. He shoved it open and stared straight up the center of the square stairwell. At the very top, he could see the shadow of Slade spiraling upward. But Robin couldn't afford the time to circle all the way around.

"Time to make myself an elevator," Robin said. He pulled free his grappling hook and fired it straight up the stairwell until it latched securely into the ceiling. He steadied his grip and clicked a button on the handle, and the cord reeled itself in, pulling Robin up the center of the stairwell with uncanny speed. He saw Slade's shadow reach the top and blow through the door to the roof, but now Robin was mere seconds behind him. The grappling hook pulled the Boy Wonder to the top, and he leapt onto the landing, yanking the hook out of the ceiling as he did so. He landed smoothly, kicked the door open, ran out onto the roof…and promptly froze in terror.

Slade stood at the very edge of the roof, atop the low wall that served as a guardrail. It was hardly wide enough for someone to plant their feet firmly upon. One good kick would send him plummeting ten stories down to the ground, which Robin wouldn't have minded…but what terrified him was that Slade was not standing there alone; he held Rosefire under one arm almost carelessly, glaring at Robin.

"Take another step, Robin, and you lose your child here and now," Slade threatened, moving his arm ever-so-slightly toward the edge.

"No…" Robin said weakly, the fury gone from him in a heartbeat. "Please…don't hurt her…"

"Good boy…" Slade whispered. "You know, Robin…I must say I underestimated you and your girlfriend today. I suppose I put a little too much faith in Analyst and his device. And now that it's out of commission and Raven's telepathy is no longer blocked, your friends are most certainly on their way…"

A sound from Slade's left attracted both his and Robin's attention; Starfire stumbled onto the roof from a second stairwell, breathing heavily. She took one glance at the scene before her and gasped. "Rosefire!"

"If you have any sense, girl, you'll stay right where you are!" Slade threatened again, his voice turning harsh. He extended his arm further, until he just barely had a hold on the baby dangling over the edge.

"Star, don't move!" Robin ordered.

Starfire stayed where she was, but to Robin's utter amazement, she no longer looked worried. In fact there was almost a trace of a smile on her face. Slade noticed it as well.

"What do you possibly have to smile about, Starfire?" he said, glaring at her.

"You have failed, Slade," she said. "Your associate has been defeated and his machine disabled. You are cornered, with no escape. You shall not have our daughter for your apprentice."

"You forget, Starfire…I still have my bargaining chip," he countered, gesturing toward the child.

"Your threats will not work, Slade. Rosefire is safe."

"_Safe_? Safe from a ten-story fall to solid concrete?"

"Star, what are you _doing_?" Robin hissed.

Starfire gave him a brief glance, one that said simply, _trust me_. Robin swallowed hard, and fell silent. Starfire looked back at Slade, or more specifically, at the child clutched in his arm. "Rosefire…look at mommy!" she cooed.

The infant turned her sparkling green eyes toward the sound, and let out a small giggle. Starfire scrunched up her expression into a funny face, and the infant giggled louder. Starfire made another funny face, and Rosefire laughed more.

"Enough!" Slade said. "You were warned."

Robin's heart stopped as Slade extended his arm a bit further, but Starfire continued to make funny faces at the child. "No…Slade, don't…"

"You should have realized, Robin…" Slade said coldly. "If I can't have this child…no one can."

And before Robin could even begin to react, Slade released his grip…and the child began to fall.

"ROSEFIRE!" Robin screamed, his feet paralyzed, rooted to the spot as he watched his daughter drop out of sight. The weight of guilt slammed upon his soul almost instantly…he had failed, again…and now his daughter was gone…

But then he caught Starfire's face out of the corner of his eye, and she didn't look even remotely afraid or upset. What did she know that he didn't?

And then his question was answered; amazingly…impossibly…Rosefire reappeared. The child floated straight back up, still giggling, and flew - _flew_, Robin's stunned mind barely registered - straight into her mother's waiting arms.

"What…? How…?" Slade said, for once speechless.

Starfire gave him a knowing smirk. "On my planet…even a newborn knows the Unbridled Joy of Flight."

Slade glared daggers at Starfire, momentarily forgetting about Robin…and then he realized his mistake. He spun back and looked toward the Boy Wonder…

…or rather, the bottom of his boot.

Robin's flying kick slammed straight into Slade's chest, throwing him backward…and out into nothingness. And just as he began to fall, the other Titans arrived.

"Dude, it's Slade!" Beast Boy said. "Robin just kicked him off that roof! Is he nuts? He's gonna kill him!"

"Raven, use your powers!" Cyborg demanded. "Slow his fall! The Titans don't kill!"

Raven indeed stretched out with her powers, but not to catch Slade. She looked deep within the falling figure, just to be sure, and then simply let go.

"Raven…?"

Slade kept falling.

"Raven…! Do something!"

"…no."

"Are you insane?" Cyborg nearly screamed. "He's gonna die!"

"No…he won't."

"What do you mean, he won't die?" Aqualad said. "No one could survive a fall like that!"

"Just watch," Raven said simply.

And watch they did, as Slade hit the ground with a loud crash, making a small crater of ruined concrete around him. A second later Robin dove off the edge of the roof himself, reeling down on his grappling hook as quickly as he could. He touched ground roughly, abandoned his grappling hook, and marched over to Slade's body. "No more, Slade!" he said, beside himself with anger. "You're finished! Stop hiding behind that mask of yours and face me head on, you coward!" He bent down, grabbed the side of Slade's mask, and ripped it off.

"You first, Robin," came Slade's cold…and still mechanical…voice.

"No! NOOO!" Robin screamed, staring furiously at the mass of dark gray circuitry of the android behind the mask, and the cold laugher of Slade…the _real_ Slade, issuing from a microphone in the mouthpiece.

"Another day, my boy. Another day."

* * *


	12. Epilogue: Real Love

Innocence Lost by CidGregor

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

* * *

**Epilogue**

"When Starfire said she was looking right at Slade and Robin fighting, I wasn't sure what to believe…" Raven said. "I knew Star wouldn't be lying, but I couldn't sense Slade at all. Just her, Robin, Rosefire, and Analyst. Then I remembered the trick he pulled with a robotic body double back in Robin's Red-X days, and I realized he'd pulled it again."

She fell silent, staring eye-to-eye with Cyborg. It was a few hours later, and the Titans had returned home from the eventful night, weary but victorious. But Cyborg had demanded to know why Raven hadn't bothered to save Slade from certain death, against every code of justice they knew, and there was no way Raven could avoid explaining herself. It seemed, though, that Cyborg wasn't entirely satisfied with her answer.

"But what if you'd been wrong?" Cyborg said. "What if that really had been Slade in there, and you'd let him die?"

"I wasn't. He wasn't. I didn't," she said simply. "Why worry about the 'what ifs'?"

"I guess…" Cyborg muttered. He looked out the window of the Tower's living room. "Well, in any case, Analyst's back in jail for a long time, and Star and Rosefire are safe. I guess we won."

"Yes…but not without a price."

Cyborg looked suspiciously at his teammate. "What price?"

Raven sighed. "Robin told me last night, just after the police took Analyst…it was Slade's fault."

"What was his fault, the kidnapping? C'mon, Rae, I think we all figured…"

"No…worse than that…Starfire's rape…Slade set the whole thing up, just to get her pregnant…and then kidnap the child, to raise her as his new apprentice. And he took some kind of sick, twisted pleasure in shoving the whole story in their faces. It hit them both pretty hard."

Cyborg was at an utter loss for words. He'd known Slade was evil…but that…that was crossing the line. That bordered on insanity.

"On second thought, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if you'd let him drop," he muttered. "That's…that's just terrible…"

Raven nodded, but said nothing more for a few moments. The two Titans stared out the window, reflecting on the previous night. The morning sun bathed the city in its dim light, slowly bringing its citizens to life and returning them to their daily routines. For most of them those routines hadn't changed a bit from the day before. But for two of the Titans, life would never be quite the same. Whether that was for better or for worse, Raven didn't know for sure…but about this, at least, she had a good feeling. She believed in Starfire and Robin. As young as they were…as young as they all still were…she believed they would be up to the task of raising a child.

"Should we…y'know…go talk to them?" Cyborg broke the silence.

"Not yet…" Raven said. "Give them some time to sort things out, just the two of them. They need it."

"Yeah, all right…where are they, anyway?"

Raven allowed a tiny smile. "You know how much Star loves watching the sun rise. Where else would they be?"

And she slowly raised her eyes to the ceiling.

* * *

Robin sat at the edge of the roof in silence, beside his love as she watched the rising of the morning sun. Rosefire was asleep in Starfire's room in her crib, the baby shower present Cyborg had made by hand. Robin shuddered to think that she might never have gotten to use it…there had been far too many close calls, the last of which Robin still didn't understand entirely how it had come about. 

"Star?" Robin voiced his mind. "I have to ask…when Slade was threatening to drop Rosefire…how did you know she would be able to fly back to safety?"

The redhead smiled, her eyes closed. "It is as I said before…with we Tameranians, the power of flight is directly linked to feelings of happiness and joy. A newborn knows these feelings from the moment they come into the world. All it takes to unleash it for the first time is a simple stimulation."

"The funny faces?" Robin guessed.

Starfire nodded. "My powers are almost a mirror image of Raven's. While her powers are controlled by an equilibrium of emotions, mine depend on unleashing them. Joy unleashes flight. Strength is unlocked through boundless confidence. And righteous fury…"

"…for the star-bolts," Robin finished. "Makes sense after seeing that huge blast of it you shot off. I imagine you were pretty upset then…"

Robin shut his mouth a couple seconds too late; Starfire's smile faded, her expression suddenly downcast.

"I…I'm sorry…" Robin said. "I know…none of this has been easy for us…but you've suffered most of all…"

"I am not worried so much for myself…but I fear that Slade has not been deterred entirely in his goal. I fear he will continue to try and kidnap Rosefire and twist her into his apprentice."

"He got lucky yesterday," Robin said. "We won't fall into the same trap again. And now that we're back in the Tower, there's no way anyone's going to get in here to take her away, I can promise you. We'll protect her, Star. What I'm worried about is you. Are you sure you're okay?"

Starfire smiled and nodded, but it was a lie, and Robin saw it. He held his stare on her until she looked away, and it was a while before she spoke again.

"When I was younger, growing up on Tamaran," Starfire she suddenly said, "I always imagined that when I had children, it would be perfect. I imagined having a wonderful husband whom I loved, and who loved me in return. I dreamed of beautiful children to call our own; one, two, or ten, it didn't matter how many…"

She trailed off for a moment, her cheeks flushing a bit. "But most of all…I…wanted to experience true love…how wonderful it would feel to be…joined as one with the man of my dreams…"

Robin's cheeks turned red as well. He coughed slightly and tugged at his collar, feeling slightly embarrassed, but he forgot about that entirely as he noticed the tears that had begun to fall from her eyes.

"But my dream was a lie…" she wept. "It was not a wonderful feeling at all. It…it hurt…I felt nothing but pain…when they…"

She blinked back her tears, but they only appeared anew as the memories began to bubble forward again.

"Starfire, your dream is as true as it ever was," Robin said, very firmly. "I promise you, Star, what those creeps did to you…that wasn't love. That was as far from love as you can possibly get. It was a despicable crime, a mockery of everything that real love stands for."

Robin leaned in closer to her, gripping her hands in his. "Don't ever think, even for a second, that real love is anything like that. Real love is the most wonderful feeling you could ever have…it's…it's what I feel for you, Star. I love you so much…and I would never, ever do anything to hurt you."

Starfire looked at the Boy Wonder through teary eyes. She watched as he slowly brought one hand beneath her chin and lifted her face up. She blinked back her tears again, and this time they stayed there. She leaned in until she could wrap her arms around the Boy Wonder's neck, and the two pulled each other in close and kissed passionately.

Every other thought was instantly and completely wiped from their minds; all they knew was each other, and that they never wanted to let that kiss end. Robin's hands found their way around Starfire's body and into her hair, and almost immediately he wished he wasn't wearing his gloves. Without breaking the kiss he flung them off and buried his hands in the silky-smooth strands of her hair. He could sit there playing with it all day, it was so soft, so perfect. It smelled like…strawberries, fittingly enough.

After what seemed like hours the two realized that they needed to breathe. The broke apart reluctantly. Robin gazed at her through the eyeholes of his mask, and suddenly remembered how much more beautiful Starfire had seemed without it. He pulled the mask off and tossed it aside, and when he looked at her again, she did indeed look more beautiful than ever.

"That was…most satisfying…" Starfire breathed.

"Yeah…" Robin echoed. "I…like your hair…it's really…soft."

She giggled. "Why thank you Robin, I lathered, rinsed, and repeated!"

Robin almost snorted with laughter and slight embarrassment as a brief mental image of Starfire in the shower flitted through his head. He gazed lovingly back at the alien girl, and wondered vaguely why he'd waited so long to tell her how much he loved her…if he had known it would feel this great, he'd have done it ages ago.

"Shall we go inside?" Starfire said. "I am feeling a little chilly now."

Almost immediately Robin flung his cape off and threw it around her shoulders. "There…better?"

"Yes, very much, thank you."

Starfire grabbed Robin by the hand and lifted him as she flew down the outside of the Tower and back through the open window of her bedroom. They landed inside, still giggling, and then Robin headed for the door.

"I'll let you get some sleep…it's been a long day for you, to say the least," he said.

"Yes, indeed it has…good nigh…er…morning, Robin."

Robin laughed. "Sleep well," he said, and left.

Starfire stood staring at the door for a good five minutes afterward, almost melting with joy as she framed the memory of the last few minutes permanently in her head. She turned to Rosefire's crib and looked in at their child…

_**Our** child…_ she thought happily. It was amazing how much she had come to love this new child in such a short amount of time. She remembered her dream again, thinking of how completely it had come true…her beautiful child, and the man she loved, and…

Her sudden wave of joy faltered again. Her dream was not quite fulfilled, after all. There was still a piece missing.

_It hurt so much then…_ Starfire remembered with a shiver. _But Robin said…that was not real…he said real love was a most wonderful feeling…and that he would never hurt me…is he…would he…_

All of a sudden determined, she left her room and floated away to Robin's room. She knocked lightly on the door, and the Boy Wonder opened it promptly. He was half-changed into his nightclothes, his mask still off, so that she could lose herself in his eyes.

"Star? Is everything okay?" he said.

"You promise…" she said slowly. "You promise…that you will never hurt me?"

"Of course, Star…I promise," he said. "But what…"

He was suddenly cut off as Starfire pulled him forward into another longing kiss, which Robin certainly did not resist. But this time it was much deeper…much more passionate than before…

She slowly edged forward with Robin until the two were inside the room…and then shut the door behind her.

Not long after, she knew Robin had indeed been right. Loving him was a more wonderful feeling than she ever could've imagined.

Her dream was, at last, complete.

**THE END...**

**

* * *

**

Author's Notes: There is still one more chapter...but I warn you, if you can't stand sex for whatever reason, you'd best stop reading now.

This fic is not within the continuity of Sleeping Prince, in case you were wondering. My next extended fic, however, will be. Title is pending, but it will be a BB/Terra story...Hopefully a good one...not enough of those out there. Raven will play a significant role this time as well (and no, not as part of a love triangle), making it my first fic where rob and star take a bit of a backseat, which is too bad, cuz I love that couple. Oh well.

In the meantime, feel free to review, E-mail, IM me, or all of the above and let me know what you thought about my first 'mature' fic. I love getting feedback, or just talking with people, or whatever. Thanks, all, for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it...trust me, I didn't want it to end just as much as you.

Ciao,

JP, aka CidGregor.


	13. Bonus: Unity

Author's Notes: This chapter is an "extra" ending, beyond what was depicted in the previous ending. It is only intended for Mature audiences, as it contains sexual content. I wrote this extra scene because I honestly felt that I could not do justice to Star's healing with only allusions/implications. The emotions, the feelings Starfire and Robin have in their hearts...it needed to be expressed, and that is what I've done here. Just keep in mind it's about LOVE, not 'sex.'

I avoided foul language and filth words like the plague, but needless to say the content of this chapter is for mature audiences only. Do not...I repeat, DO NOT continue reading if you have a problem with sexual content. You have been warned.

* * *

Innocence Lost by CidGregor 

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

* * *

**Addendum**

Robin closed the door of his room and sat down on his bed, going over in his mind every detail of his talk with Starfire moments ago. It was a pleasant memory, of course, but there were parts of it that still bothered him; and most clear in his mind was the point where she had told him just how much it had hurt, being raped. Even in originally telling him what had happened, she'd never before shared details of the actual experience, nor had he asked for any. But when he heard her tell him of how much pain she'd felt…it made his heart ache and his blood boil at the same time.

He was already mad enough at Slade and his thugs for what they did to her, and hearing of the pain they caused her only made that anger worse. But to ruin her dreams…to make her think, even for a second, that the pain she'd felt was inescapable, no matter who she was with…he felt a hot, sick swoop of rage toward the thugs and Slade, and a terrible pity for Starfire. For all he knew, she might be so afraid of that pain returning that she would never want to be with anyone else.

Of course he'd done his best to tell her otherwise – that real Love was a beautiful, wonderful thing that true lovers shared – but he didn't know if she entirely believed him. He wished so badly that he could somehow prove to her the truth about it…but there wasn't much chance of _that_ anytime soon, he told himself. He sure as hell wasn't about to go up to her and ask to prove it, unless he got the sudden urge to die of embarrassment; and she certainly wasn't about to knock on his door and…

_Knock knock._

_Okay…that was decidedly odd,_ Robin admitted. He took a quick glance at himself in the mirror; he was still wearing the pants and boots of his costume, but he had already replaced the shirt and cape with his nightshirt, and his mask and gloves were still off. But he was at least presentable. Shrugging, he opened the door, expecting to see perhaps Raven wanting to give him her…unusual words of comfort…or perhaps Cyborg and Beast Boy wanting to invite him to join their video games to take his mind off of Slade's attack the previous night; none of which he was much in the mood for at the moment.

What he didn't expect was to see Starfire again.

_Okay…that was decidedly **very** odd…_ he amended to himself.

She stood there in his doorway, still in her usual lavender top and skirt but without the boots, her blazing red hair almost sparkling in the reflected morning light from Robin's window. But her expression was not the same happy, content one he'd left her with; not exactly, anyway. He still saw a little of that, but now he saw it mingling with a little bit of everything else; fear, nervousness, excitement, trepidation, steeled nerves…what was going on?

"Star? Is everything okay?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"You promise…" she started, but stopped for a moment, her throat seemingly constricted by something. Then, "You promise…that you will never hurt me?"

He remembered saying that, of course; he'd told her so not five minutes earlier, when he told her how much love he had for her. Did she doubt him for some reason? No…it was something else…the way she had said it…it was like she was…_pleading_ with him…but why?

"Of course, Star, I promise…" he said, "but what…"

He had been about to ask her again what the problem was, but at that moment she stepped forward and pulled him into a kiss. Robin felt his worries drift away as he got lost again in her lips…though almost no time had passed since their last kiss, it seemed so much better this time, somehow…and then he realized that he wasn't imagining it. This kiss was deeper…more heated, more…passionate, somehow. Her lips were pressed to his firmly but not forcefully, and her arms were squeezed tightly around his body, though not so tight as to be uncomfortable. He wondered briefly what had brought on this difference, and what exactly Starfire was doing…but when she guided him into the bedroom and closed the door behind her, there wasn't anything left to wonder about.

Without breaking the kiss Starfire leaned backward, pulling Robin down with her until she was lying on his bed with Robin on top of her. He felt her hands running up and down his back, holding him to her almost greedily.

_We shouldn't do this…_ Robin's sensible side warned - the side that had long-since been programmed by Batman's teachings. _We shouldn't get involved…it…it's not right…_

But that was a lie, Robin knew immediately. He loved this woman more than anything, and everything about this felt exactly right to him…

…_but does she think the same way? Is that where this is coming from?_

He broke the kiss for a moment, and the both of them took a much-needed breath. Robin looked down at Starfire with his naked, unmasked eyes, and knew he wasn't mistaken – this was definitely right to him – but was it right to her?

"Star…" he whispered into her ear, "…are you…sure about this…?"

Truth be told, she wasn't; not entirely. She still harbored a doubt or two; not that it was Robin's doing, of course. Her doubts rooted from her own fears. But she'd maintained the will to get this far; she knew that if she didn't do this, here and now…if she let the fear get to her…she might never be able to fight it again. And in some corner of her mind, she understood the very same thing Robin did; _this felt right_. This was the man she loved, the man she wanted to be with, in body and spirit, for the rest of her days.

"Yes…" she whispered back. "…I am sure."

Robin smiled. He kicked his boots off and leaned forward until they were kissing once more; and now, as Starfire's hands ran up and down Robin's back again, his own hands were playing absently with her silky-smooth hair. The two rolled over until they were entirely on the bed, and Starfire was now lying on top of Robin. She broke the kiss just long enough to reach down and pull Robin's nightshirt over his head, then tossed it aside and slowly began shifting her kisses away from his mouth, down the side of his neck to his bare chest. Her fingers traced gingerly over the battle scars he had accumulated over his years of crime-fighting, but she didn't think of them as ugly or disfiguring; rather, they reminded her of just how much he had given up and endured to protect innocent lives, and thinking of that made her love him all the more.

Starfire sat upright then, looking down at Robin with a grin. Her hands came up to the edges of her top, and with only a moment of hesitation she flung it over her head and down to the floor.

She giggled a bit, seeing the wide-eyed look on Robin's face right then – even she felt a little surprised at herself – but she was letting her heart guide her now, and everything was still feeling right so far. She bent down and brought their lips together again as she rolled them over so that Robin was on top again. Starfire leaned back, closed her eyes and soaked it in as Robin followed her example, and his kisses moved from her lips and down her neck to her chest. There was a slight moment where she tensed as Robin's hands touched her breasts for the first time; her fears were causing her to half-expect his touch to be cold and rough, like that of Slade's thugs. But it was quite the opposite: his touch was warm…gentle…tender, even. She relaxed into it, letting his hands and kisses wash over her body with twinges of pleasure at every touch.

Not long after, Robin's hands drifted lower, to the edge of her skirt. She felt his hesitation there, so she kissed him reassuringly and placed her hands over his, guiding them. Her skirt came down around her legs and off the edge of the bed, and a minute later the two lovers were lying atop one another entirely unclothed, their lips refusing to part.

But now came the part that stirred the fear in Starfire's mind more than anything else. This was what had hurt her the most the last time, what she was most afraid that Robin's assurances were wrong about. She wanted to go forward so badly, but her fear was making her hesitate. Robin paused as well, sensing this.

"It's okay, Star…we don't have to if you don't feel comfortable…" he whispered.

For a moment she almost let the fear convince her to stop…but her heart wouldn't let her. She had faith in Robin's words, she knew he wouldn't hurt her the way she'd been hurt last time.

"No," she assured him. "It's all right…I…I trust you."

Robin nodded his understanding. He kissed her again as he brought himself forward, and for one terrifying moment as he entered her, she felt just the tiniest prick of pain. She breathed in sharply, and again the fear almost consumed her; had Robin been wrong after all? Was it destined to hurt her every time?

But the moment was miniscule and fleeting, as was the pain – it was no worse than poking her finger on a rosebush – and once it passed, that feeling…that wonderful feeling Robin had promised…it swept over her as though she'd stepped into a bath, warming her whole body. He'd been right…more right than perhaps even he himself had known.

She realized suddenly that Robin had stopped again when he heard her sharp breath, concern in his eyes, but she smiled back at him and pulled him forward, kissing him all over his face, and the last of the tension between the first-time lovers was gone. Their hips rocked back and forth in a slow rhythm; the only sounds between them were their heated breathing and Starfire's small sighs of satisfaction that grew steadily stronger. This was beyond everything she'd ever dared to dream of…this was _wonderful_, this was _perfect_, this…

_This…this is Love…_

She momentarily broke away from kissing Robin and lay back against the bed, biting her lip to stop herself from crying out as she reached her peak. Instead she let out a deep breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding, her arms wrapped more tightly around Robin than ever. Gradually her breathing slowed and relaxed, as did Robin's. In her joy, Starfire didn't even notice the wetness in her eyes until Robin said something.

"Star? You…you're crying…"

Starfire blinked and realized that there were indeed tears in her eyes. "Yes…I suppose I am," she said.

"Why?"

The obvious answer came to her quickly. "Because…I have never felt so happy in my entire life." She wiped them away and looked up at her lover. "Before this…I was so afraid, Robin…even though you told me how wonderful it would be, no matter how much I wanted to believe you…I was still afraid. But thanks to you…I'm not afraid any more. Thank you, Robin…thank you so very much."

"Anything for you, Star…anything for you…"

He kissed her again, and they simply lay there wrapped up in one another for perhaps ten minutes until Starfire broke away with a sudden burst of her trademark giggle.

"What is it?" Robin asked.

"Oh, how are we ever going to tell the others?" she said.

Robin smirked. "Who says we have to tell them about us? It can just be our little secret."

Starfire returned his smirk and rolled him over again so she was lying on top. "Well, normally I would not approve of keeping secrets from our friends, but…I could certainly make an exception in this case…"

She leaned down to kiss him one more time…

And at that moment, to their utter horror, the bedroom door opened.

"Yo, Robin!" came Cyborg's booming voice as he strode into the room. "Get your butt outta bed! Star's gone missing again, we can't find her…any…where…"

Cyborg's forward movement came to a halt as his eyes fell first on the pile of clothes at the foot of Robin's bed and then on his two teammates, who were only barely covered by the bed-sheets. For a full minute, the three Titans could do nothing but stare blankly at one another; not one of them moved a muscle or made a sound.

"Um…right…" Cyborg eventually said. "Never mind, then…"

And he left the room looking thoroughly shell-shocked. The other two Titans looked at one another…and simultaneously burst out laughing.

"Well…so much for secrets…" Robin muttered.

* * *

Five minutes later Robin stood outside the living room door in his uniform once again, bracing himself for what was sure to come the moment he opened the door. _Maybe he didn't say anything_, Robin thought for a moment, but he didn't really believe it. And considering the first thing he heard when he opened the door was Beast Boy's wild laughter, he knew Cyborg had indeed blabbed. 

"Well, look who's here! Mister lady-killer himself!" Beast Boy grinned at him, turned away momentarily from his game with Cyborg. The metal Titan, sitting next to him on the couch, gave a smirk of his own, while Raven, off in a corner by herself, was buried in a book and determinedly ignoring him, her cheeks slightly red.

Robin signed resignedly. "Look, BB, make whatever jokes you want at me, but I'm begging you, leave Star alone, please? For ten bucks?"

Beast Boy's eyes bulged. "Ten bucks? You got it, dude!"

"Thank you," Robin said with a relieved sigh, and turned to the kitchen to make breakfast. Another five minutes later, Starfire came in, looking slightly red, but perfectly normal and – _thank God,_ Cyborg thought – fully clothed again.

"Good morning, friends!" she said cheerfully, and the others, thankfully, returned the greeting as usual, free of any jokes. Beast Boy had to suppress his chuckles, but he quickly returned to his game, only to find that Cyborg's character was pounding Beast Boy's into pulp.

"DUDE! That's so bogus!" he whined.

"You snooze, you lose, shrimp! Ha-hah!" Cyborg said back.

"I want a rematch!"

Starfire floated past the arguing boys and over to Raven's corner. Raven glanced up from her book. "What?"

"May I sit with you for a moment?"

Raven sighed and nodded. Starfire sat beside the dark girl, a pensive look on her face. Raven raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be the happiest girl on the planet right about now?"

Starfire grinned in an embarrassed sort of way. "Eh-heheh…Cyborg has…informed you of what he saw, has he?"

"Yup," Raven said. "Maybe next time you'll remember to lock the door, hmm?"

"Indeed," Starfire said with a laugh.

"So what's wrong, then?"

"Nothing's wrong," Starfire assured. "I am merely…well…overwhelmed."

"How so?"

"I've…had a dream, ever since I was old enough to understand Love, about what exactly it would be like to share such an experience with whomever I one day came to love. And to be honest…I was afraid, after what Slade did, that my dream was false. But Robin…whatever pain Slade caused, Robin wiped it away. He made my dream a reality. And I am just so…happy…to have found so wonderful a person to love."

Raven smiled. "We're happy for you, Star, really. BB and Cyborg crack jokes and all, but deep down, we wish you guys nothing but the best."

"Thank you, Raven," Starfire said. She giggled again. "Oh, just imagine…perhaps even now I could be carrying our second child!"

Apparently Robin heard that, because a moment later there was a loud crashing sound from the kitchen area, and when they looked over, Robin was sitting on the ground in a pile of dishes and covered in pancake mix.

"Robin!" Starfire shouted as she flew over. "Are you damaged?"

"Unnhh…I'm okay…" he grunted. "But breakfast isn't."

Starfire extended a hand and Robin grabbed it to pull himself up, but all he succeeded at was slipping on the spilled pancake goo and yanking Starfire down into it with him.

"Ow…sorry, Star…"

"It is all right, I am unhurt."

Meanwhile Cyborg and Beast Boy were laughing their heads off, and Raven was again ignoring them as hard as she could. Beast Boy suddenly spun back to his game while Cyborg was still laughing, pressing a few buttons triumphantly. "HAH! Payback, sucker!"

"Wha…? Oh, that's it, you little grass-stain!"

And the two were engrossed in their game once more.

"Oh well…I wasn't that hungry anyway," Robin said. "Although now I need a shower."

"I as well," Starfire agreed, wiping off the excess goo from her arms.

"You go ahead, then," Robin insisted. "I'll clean this mess up."

"No, no, you need it more than I, please, take your shower first."

"It's all right, really," Robin said. "This is my mess after all…"

Starfire opened her mouth to argue again, but suddenly paused. She cast a glance across the room to make sure the others were occupied, then turned back to Robin with a nervous smile. "Perhaps…we could share?"

Robin went red, but he smiled too. "That sounds…nice."

And the two left the room hand-in-hand, completely oblivious to the rest of the world.

**THE END…AGAIN**

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this. It's not quite the sequel some of you asked for, but it's something. Next up is the BB/Terra story, tentatively titled "Clash of the Titans." It'll be started soon. 

Ciao,

JP. aka CidGregor


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